White Wings
by DGMfreak5
Summary: Dark Mousy is just a normal collage student. But when he starts having dreams about a golden haired angel named Krad and having wings, his world comes tumbling down. Will he ever discover the truth? Eventually D/K
1. Chapter 1

AN: Hello! This is my first story with DN Angel and my second story on this site. Please be nice and let me know your opinion on this first chapter. The second will come out in a couple of days. This may be confusing at first, but please be patient. All will be explained! Also, this is a story that could take place after the ending of the anime when Dark and Krad are trapped in the Black Wings. I hope you enjoy and please review!

Chapter 1:

**Dark's POV**

_It was cold. _

_Cold and very dark._

"_So this is the Black Wings. I sort of expected something a little more homely." Dark thought to himself. He shifted, a little uncomfortable. He'd always liked the dark. He felt safe under the shadows and he was used to it, seeing as he always stole artworks at night. _

_However, in this darkness, he wasn't stealing and he couldn't see a thing. It was pitch black. Shivering a little, Dark got to his feet, feeling with his hands. He couldn't make out anything, but there was nothing solid in front of him, so he took a step forward. _

_Confident, as he hadn't run into anything, he edged forward a little faster, arms still extended. "Can I use my magic? Probably not." He found he was able to allow his real wings to shoot out of him. He tried some magic and was excited to see he could still use it. It seemed as if his magic wasn't restricted as he had guessed. "Cool. That's an added bonus."_

_Dark didn't feel comfortable flying yet, because he wasn't sure what was in the air, but he kept his wings out to feel for objects and for use in case he met some danger. "Ugh. My head is pounding." Dark thought to himself, still walking forward slowly. He wished it wasn't so dark or at least for something to mark his progress with. He was sort of worried he'd get lost in the dark but then, he wasn't Daisuke, and the violet haired angel had a pretty good sense of direction. _

_Thinking of the little red head, Dark tried to call to him, to see if their connection had held. "Dai?" he called mentally, but he received no reply and as his head was currently aching, it was impossible for him to tell if their connection even existed any more. Groaning to himself, he took another step forward-and froze. _

_There was something solid ahead of him; something that felt suspiciously like a body. Who would be in this darkness with him but-? 'Krad!' Dark had to bite his lip to keep from shouting it out loud. Immediately, the thief leaped backwards, wings flaring outward, hands shielding his face in a defensive position. _

_Straining his ears, he could hear no sound from where he had felt the body, even though he was still fairly close to it, close enough to pick up any sounds Krad might make. Drifting closer to hover a few feet above the body, Dark stayed silent and still, unsure of what to do. Should he risk it? If Krad awoke, he might be so freaked out, he'd attack him. On the other hand, he couldn't just leave the un-conscious angel here, even if the blond was his archenemy and wanted to kill him desperately. _

"_Curse Daisuke. He's made me soft!" Dark mumbled to himself before dropping to the ground next to the sleeping artwork and feeling along his body with his hands. It was definitely Krad; Dark could feel his long silky blond hair and the white wings that still arched from his back. _

_Luckily, everything about his counterpart was lightly colored so Dark could see him fairly well in the darkness. "That's going to be a plus!" Dark thought, happily. With his dark clothes and Krad's white, he could see his enemy while the lighter angel would have problems seeing him. _

"_This is strange." Dark didn't like to admit it but he was confused. Krad must have sustained some sort of injury. He had found Krad's heart beat, so he knew that the other artwork was still alive, but as soft as his touches along the other's hair, chest and wings were, he was sure, if Krad had been himself he would have woken and attacked by now. _

_As much as he hated to admit it, Dark would have to find out what was wrong with his enemy. In the darkness it was difficult, but at least, Dark shivered in disgust at the thought, Krad wasn't naked. He was still wearing his white robe and it seemed as if Dark was wearing the clothes he'd been wearing before they'd been sealed as well. _

_However, this made it hard to tell if Krad had been injured unless some of the blood had soaked though his clothes. Still finding nothing, Dark's confusion only increased, which made him irritated. The thief hated to be confused. He liked to be confident and carefree, and being confused was not an emotion he enjoyed. _

_Finally, out of desperation, he leaned close to the hunter's ear and hissed, "Wake up Krad!" He would have laughed, had it not been such a serious situation at Krad's startled reaction. He was on his feet at once, golden eyes narrowed, scanning the darkness for danger. _

_Dark had flipped backwards, so Krad's eyes were unable to pick him up in the darkness, but Dark knew Krad could tell that he was not alone. He had been awake enough to register the voice in his ear. "Who's there?" the cat-like voice snarled, golden eyes flicking from side to side, as Krad circled. Even when he was on the defensive, Krad looked like he was prepared to tear some one's head off, and Dark inwardly shivered. _

_Dark couldn't hide forever and he knew it. He decided to just walk out slowly and try to get along with the blond hunter, as well as he could. Plus, if Krad truly was injured, it would be dangerous for him to move around too much and he would need treatment, the least Dark could do is stop the blood flow with a piece of his shirt. _

_Shivering and hoping he wasn't about to be murdered by a homicidal angel, Dark stepped out, keeping his head up and maintaining his confident swagger, not about to show Krad the fear hidden behind his eyes. "So, Krad? How do you like your new home? Comfortable?" Dark asked, cockily, grinning at Krad as he approached. _

_Krad's eyes narrowed further, and it seemed to Dark that his cat-like golden orbs were burning a hole in him. He was positive that if looks could kill, he would be long dead. _

"_Mousy." Krad hissed, stalking towards the thief. "How dare you seal us!"_

"_It was for the better!" Dark gulped, and took a couple steps back. "And look; now you have your own body!" _

_Krad froze for a second, seeming to have forgotten that Satoshi was not connected to him anymore. Dark could tell through the small mental link he always had with Krad that the white angel was testing to make sure the young police commander was truly gone. He thought he heard him call, "Satoshi-sama?" but it was hard to tell. He'd been lucky to be able to link to Krad at all, the golden-haired angel tended to keep his feelings and thoughts to himself._

"_So he really is gone." Krad said, almost thoughtfully and then laughed and licked his lips. "And your tamer? The red-head brat?"_

"_Gone as well." Dark replied. It was no use lying to Krad now, especially not when he'd have to spend eternity with him. 'Unless he kills me first.' Dark added mentally, and winced. 'That's not good. Keep positive Dark!' he scolded himself. He was so use to having Daisuke there, that he hadn't realized how weird it was now to think to himself when no one would hear it. His head felt so empty._

"_How are we still alive?" Krad asked, raising an eyebrow. "I thought we were sealed. We should be merged!"_

"_Maybe when that Hiwatari* tried to break the seal too late? Well, it doesn't matter now. We're here, alive and separate so let's enjoy it!" Dark grinned, hoping to open Krad up a bit with enthusiasm. He knew all too well how that would work. _

_Dark watched with interest as instead of snorting, snapping at him or calling him an idiot, Krad's eyes shifted to the darkness around them but as soon as Dark moved, violet eyes still watching Krad, his other half looked up, golden orbs guarded. "What are you staring at!" Krad growled, his wings tensing and ruffling a little with unease. _

"_Krad, are you injured?" Dark asked, trying to seem as concerned, truthful, and harmless as he could. _

_Krad sniffed. "Why would I be? Your attacks barely graze me, Mousy."_

"_You took a while waking up, so I thought maybe you had gotten hurt." Dark replied, smiling. "If that's the case, you can borrow some of this shirt. I can take off my coat and-"_

"_Idiot." Krad mocked, laughing. "You think I would accept help from you? I can't understand you! Or rather, you cannot understand me." He laughed again, but his eyes remained cold, like golden chips of ice._

"_It was worth a try!" Dark shrugged. "And anyway, we shouldn't fight anymore. We have to get along in here."_

"_There's no requirement that states we have to get along." Krad scoffed. "You're just making excuses to preserve your life. Now, you can't hide behind the mask of that red-haired child. And believe me Dark; I have no intention of letting you live." _

_Dark shivered, and it wasn't entirely from the cold. "Sleep on it." He said cheerfully, and then took to the air, dodging one of Krad's blasts of magic. He stayed close so he could find Krad again but far enough away that his counterpart couldn't find him easily. He hated to admit it, but Krad was the only life inside the Black Wings besides himself, and he needed someone to talk to or he'd go insane. Especially now that Daisuke was gone. Dark wanted to punch Krad for the mean things he'd said about his little tamer, but knew Daisuke wouldn't have liked it if he'd attacked his other half seemingly without a reason. _

"_I wonder how he's doing. I hope he's with his sacred maiden now…." He sighed wistfully, thinking of the little red head. "How come he gets his girl? It would be nice if there were some pretty girls in here too." _

_Dark shook his head. Thinking this way would just make him long for the outside world. They were trapped, no one had ever researched how to unseal an artwork from inside, because once sealed; beings like Dark and Krad were trapped. Dark had used the strongest seal he could and he was sure it would be incredibly hard to break. He didn't even know how to start._

_He fell into a sitting position, wrapping his hands around his knees and staring with unfocused eyes at the blackness._

"_Could I do it?" Dark heard over his link with Krad. "Is it…possible?"_

I gasped, violet hair streaming across my face as I leaped to my feet, tripping in the blankets wrapped around me. My vision blurred and I leaned against the nearby dresser for support, and waited until the room stopped spinning. 'What a strange dream…' I thought to myself, rubbing my head; only serving to make the tangled mess of violet even more ruffled.

I shivered, and changed clothes. My back wouldn't stop itching and I blamed it on my sub-conscious trying to make me believe I still had dark wings there. I threw on my usual attire-a black leather jacket, my worn black Vans, jeans and a t-shirt.

I stumbled down the stairs, yawning a little and proceeded to my kitchen to make some coffee. Humming a tune to myself, I flicked on the radio and leaped up on to the counter, swinging my feet as I waited for the coffee to boil.

When the drink was ready, I poured some into a plastic cup and took a sip, sighing as the warm liquid made me feel better instantly. I checked my watch and groaned. "Damn it. School is in 20 minutes. Must have slept in late again." I mumbled to no one. I snagged a donut from a box on the counter, bemoaning the fact that I didn't have time to have my usual breakfast of waffles, and walked at a face pace down the street from my apartment to the collage I had recently begun attending.

A mousy-haired girl waved at me from the courtyard and I waved back, picking up my pace to meet her. I dropped my empty plastic coffee cup in the garbage and finished the remains of my donut. "Hey, Ria." I said, meeting her light brown, almost hazel eyes and slipping an arm around her waist.

"Dark-san!" she breathed, pressing closer to me. "You almost made us late again!" she accused.

"Sorry. I woke up late!" I explained, leading her towards the school.

As we entered the classroom, a red-head looked up and waved. He was conversing with a boy with cerulean hair, and had his arm around another girl, that looked similar to Ria, except with shorter and redder hair. My group of college buddies was complete.

They were all two years younger than me, because I had started school late but I didn't really mind. They insisted it was because I had been held back but I had transferred from my previous Uni. I had met the red-head and the boy with the blue hair in high school but Ria and the other girl, who were twins, were new faces now that I was at collage.

"Hey Dark!" the red-head called, alerting the other two with him to my presence.

"Dai-chan!" I responded, waving and grinning cheerfully. "Ry, Sat." I used their nicknames because, despite the strange dream last night, I was in a pretty good mood. I waved to the red-head Daire, the blue haired boy, Santo and Rylie in turn. "What's up?

Ria and I were going out, because Ria would _never _leave me alone if I didn't and she was one of the cutest girl's around. Ry and Daire were also dating, and I thought they made a funny couple. I enjoyed teasing them, especially Daire, who was like a little brother to me. Santo was a loner, but I don't think anyone was surprised.

Santo pushed his glasses up, as they were slipping off his long nose. "We were waiting for you. We were wondering if you were going to be late." He smirked.

"Hey! I'm not that bad! Plus, I'm a growing boy! I need my beauty sleep!" I insisted, brushing a stray violet lock from in front of my face and putting my hands on my hips.

Daire giggled. "You were later than me Dark!"

"That's pretty sad." Rylie informed me, laughing as well. "I think Daire's starting to rub off on you Dark."

Ria hurried over to her twin, giving her a glare. "Now Rylie, Dark-san's trying his best! He just woke up late today!"

Rylie raised an eyebrow. "Really? Well anyway, I don't see why you even wait for the pervert. He's going to make you late again!"

"Hey! I'm her boyfriend and I was late _one_ time!" Dark interrupted incredulously, frowning.

"Don't argue guys." Daire cried, exasperated. "The professor is coming!"

Sure enough, the teacher strode in and an immediate hush came over the classroom. I took Ria's hand and pulled her to a seat beside me. Daire was already sitting in front of me with Santo on his left and Rylie on his right.

"Old hag." I muttered and Ria giggled.  
"Shh!" Daire warned, turning in his seat to place a finger over his lips. "She might hear you!" Daire was a innocent little thing-he was quite the goody two shoes but he was like a little brother to me, so I was used to it by now.

"Ha! She can't hear us from this distance!" I replied, not fazed in the least. "She's deaf and blind as a bat!" As if to prove my point, the elderly woman just continued with her role call, only those in the first couple of rows making the effort to pay attention. "It's the last day before spring break! Live a little Dai!"

Rylie turned in her seat to roll her eyes at me then took Daire's arm and pulled him towards the professor again. I was the only one in my group besides Ria, who really didn't care about school. However, besides Santo, I had the best grades in the class. My friends, especially Ry, didn't really believe that I was capable of rational thought, so I liked to prove them wrong. Dai and Rylie were high "B" or low "A" students, while Ria was more of a average student at best.

"Ria Harada?" The old lady called and Ria called loudly, "Here!"

"Rylie Harada?" Ry responded with a "Present".

"Santo Hiwatari?" Santo just raised his hand and sort of grunted in response.

Daire frowned. "Hiwatari-kun, at least try to pretend you're having fun!"

I kind of zoned out, doodling absently on my notebook paper before the old hag called. "Dark Mousy?"

"Here." I raised my hand then let it plop to the desk again. My eyes widened as I looked at my sketch. I had drawn the strange figure from my dream. The one called "Krad." I rubbed it out furiously with my eraser.

I must have missed the rest of roll call, although I faintly remember Daire calling "Present!" happily. Now the prof. was going on and on about some boring adventure of some explorer or other. It wasn't like I hated my History course, but after a while it all started to mesh together.

I looked down at my paper again and snarled in frustration. I had started drawing Krad again. What was wrong with me? I resumed erasing with a passion, nearly tearing my paper in my haste to erase the way too lifelike face from the paper.

For some reason, I felt like I was supposed to hate the golden-haired angel, but any emotion I could muster up was confusion. What exactly _was_ that dream?

Santo turned around in his seat and saw me still erasing hard. He raised an eyebrow but didn't ask. I was glad; as I wasn't sure I wanted to explain my sudden urge to keep drawing a person from a dream. Ria saw Santo's look and looked over at me with a concerned expression.

"Are you alright Dark-san?" she asked, twirling her pink mechanical pencil in between her fingers. "Are you sick?"

"Nah." I waved her off, giving a weak imitation of my usually care-free grin.

"Dark Mousy, who was Sir Walter Raleigh?" the old hag called, and I turned towards her, smoothing the smile from my face.

"He was a European Explorer who claimed to have discovered a "City of Gold" in South America. He was beheaded in 1618 because he attacked the Spanish outpost of Santo Thomé de Guayana." I replied, smirking smugly at a wide eyed Rylie and Dai. "Who said I wasn't paying attention?" I smirked, speaking more softly, so the teacher couldn't catch me.

"Very good! Demie Peters, when was this man born and when did he set sail?"

By the end of class, I had forgotten all about Krad and my fascination with drawing him.

AN: I hope you guys enjoyed. Please comment and let me know how I did! *squeals in joy* My first DN Angel fic! I'm so happy!

*Dark means Kei Hiwatari-see the end of the anime.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Hey everyone! Here's the next chapter! I meant to publish it sooner but stupid wouldn't let me!!!

In any case, I'd like to thank my reviewers: The Lantern, Dark Hearted Shinobi, and Tee Fannie. You guys rock!

I'd also like to thank everyone who read/ favorite this story? I'll be interested to hear your theory on what is going on! =P Enjoy!

Chapter 2:

**Dark's POV**

The class ended around twelve, so Ria, Daire and I went out to lunch. Santo and Riley declined, claiming they were going to study before their next course. Riley kissed Daire goodbye, and while he was blushing, I proceeded to tease and mock him teasingly.

"Da-ark!" Daire complained, giving me a glare. "Stop!"

Everyone was laughing now, even Rylie, except Santo who just turned up a corner of his lips. Typical.

"Alright, I have to go." Rylie sighed, when she was finished with her short laughing fit. Santo nodded and the two went off together while I took Ria's arm and escorted her towards the little restaurant. Daire walked behind us, eyes wide and feet dragging as if he was still in a daze from Rylie's kiss.

I chuckled. "Ah, young love." I gave Ria a peck on the check and she giggled.

The place we were eating at wasn't in the best part of town, but it was Daire's favorite place and the food, I admit, was really good. I assured Dai and Ria that I would protect them if anyone came after us. Ria squeezed my arm in assent, but Daire pouted, throwing me another glare. "I can protect myself you know!"

"Of _course_ you can." I said sarcastically, not even bothering to turn my head.

Daire just sighed and I thought I heard him mumbled. "Typical Dark…"

As we neared the place, I thought I spotted a figure leaping over a house's side yard fence. Long golden strands caught the light and I froze, mesmerized. Was that…Krad?! Could that be the other angel from my dream?!

Risa looked at me, half concerned and half upset by my sudden lack of interest in her. "Dark-san? What is it?"

Daire had stopped walking too, and was level with me now, on the other side of Ria. "Yeah, Dark. What's with you?"

I shook my head to clear it and the figure I had seen either must have been an extremely fast runner or I was imagining things. "Er…I'm fine. Just thought I saw someone." At least that wasn't _really _a lie.

"Oh." Ria said, looking a little put out. She brightened considerably when I kissed her and pulled her forward towards the restaurant.

The rest of our break was uneventful, although I had to catch myself from staring out the window, trying to find the person who had resembled Krad again. 'You don't even know if it was him!' I scolded myself. Luckily, no one really seemed to notice, except Dai who caught me staring outside once, but hopefully, he'd brush it off.

We headed back to school still talking, mostly about our plans for the spring break. It sounded like Daire and Rylie were going to spend every minute of the day together, which made me go on another teasing spree. I didn't really have anything going on, but I wanted to spend some time with my friends as well.

I was always welcome at the Niwa's and I was sure Ria would want to spend as much time with me as possible, which I enjoyed half for spending time with her and half for annoying her twin. Daire decided we should all get together on Easter, and I didn't argue. My family wasn't exactly the "let's get together for Easter!" type, and the Niwas considered me Dai's adoptive brother.

Thinking about it, I was sort of upset I didn't have more going on. I would be lazing around all break if I didn't get my act together!

When we arrived at the campus, Ria and I split up, but Daire continued to follow me, as we had the same course. I caught a glimpse of Santo with a textbook under his arm heading one way and Ria and Rylie, who had met up after Ria had let go of me, another way.

My next course was Precalculus I, which was one of the easiest courses for me. Math always had been my strong point. That gave me an excuse to zone again and I began to ponder the glimpse of the blond near the restaurant. Had that really been Krad?

"Hey, Dark?" Daire's timid voice broke my intense thought. I blinked, violet eyes meeting crimson.

"Yeah? What's up Dai?" I asked, suddenly realizing my hand was moving. Damn it! I had been sketching Krad again!

I looked up, glancing around more to see that the class was emptying of students and the teacher was sitting at his desk, shuffling some papers. Had I thought and unknowingly sketched for the entire period?!

"Well, I needed some help. I can't really understand the lesson and I was wondering if you had taken better notes…" he broke off when he saw my drawing. "Who's that?"

Great…. "Err…childhood friend…" I muttered, erasing quickly.

"Oh." Was Daire's response and I hurried to explain the lesson to him to end the awkward silence. I was _really _good at multi-tasking so luckily, even while zoning and unconsciously drawing Krad I was still able to understand the lesson better than Dai-chan. How…sad.

When I got home, I was so drained I just collapsed on the couch. I still had two hours until my next, and last, lesson of the day. I closed my eyes and snuggled into the pillows. Might as well relax for a while… Only afterwards could I recall falling asleep.

_Dark winced. As he adjusted to the Black Wings, he was able to feel countless injuries along his body, though thankfully, none were serious. He cleaned them as best they could but his body still stung and ached. "Damn Krad." Dark grumbled, wiping some blood off his arm. _

_It seemed in this world, he was still able to experience the wounds he'd received before he was sealed. His headache also refused to leave him alone. That was annoying. Satisfied that he had treated his injuries without wasting too much magic and as well as he could lacking any supplies, Dark lay back and wondered mentally, 'What the hell am I supposed to do now? I almost wish Krad would attack me in this place ….Wait! I could bug Krad! That sounds like fun!' He got to his feet, cringing as his injuries flared up in response and followed his sense of Krad's presence. _

"_Oh, Kraddie?" Dark called cheerfully, waving despite the fact that Krad probably couldn't see him. Dark figured the light angel was busy thinking up some plot to kill him so he hoped Krad wasn't too irritated when there was an interruption. 'Actually' Dark thought, 'he might be happy at the opportunity to put his plans for his murder to action!' He kept walking, knowing Krad was just ahead of him. There was a "thump" sound as his foot hit something. He frowned and felt along it with his hands. What is this? There shouldn't be anything else here except…_

_Dark was not expecting to feel his other half, sprawled on the floor, beneath him, especially because this had already occurred before. As his eyes adjusted to the brightness of Krad's form, he could see one of his counterpart's wings lying at a strange angle, with no movement from the body at all. 'Damn it! His injuries must of kicked in like mine have!' Dark thought franticly, and then remembered he was talking to himself. _

"_Krad!" he called, shaking his blonde counterpart but there was no response. Snatching a feather from his wings, Dark mumbled a series of magic words and the black feather began to glow with a bluish light. He placed it next to Krad and the light remained. He was hoping to use it to see more so he could find the injury that was keeping Krad from regaining consciousness._

_He almost jumped as he noticed the amount of blood staining Krad's robe. 'Did I really injure him that badly?!' Dark thought, a little confused. 'I guess the transfer over was hard for him.' Dark gently lifted the fold of Krad's robe and ripping a piece of his shirt off, began to try to clean up the mess of blood staining the blonde's chest. _

_Dark pressed down a little too hard and Krad shifted, hissing under his breath. Thankfully, the homicidal angel did not awaken and Dark continued cleaning Krad's muscular chest with less force. "I don't even know why I'm doing this. He'd never do the same for me." Dark grumbled to himself. "Shows what sheer boredom can do to you. And no girls either!"_

_As he flew backwards, and jarred his head on the "ground", Dark realized that Krad had felt his ministrations, his guess confirmed when a shout of "Mousy!" and a pale hand around his neck brought him back to reality. _

_Krad was leaning over him, golden-amber orbs filled with rage. The darker angel thought he saw embarrassment in his other half's gaze as well, but he blinked and the un-Krad like emotion was gone. "What were you doing? Mind explaining, thief?" Krad hissed, tugging on Dark's collar and succeeding in choking the thief a little._

"_Uh, I was, h-helping..!? You-"gasp "- were injured so I-" he was cut off by a snarl from the ice angel and squeaked in fear as Krad leaned closer, eyes flashing dangerously. _

"_Do not touch me. Ever. Got it?!" Krad growled, murderous intent written clearly on his face. _

"_Y-yes." Dark stammered and Krad let go of his collar. However, as soon as Krad began to stalk away, he called, loud enough for Krad to hear, "You know, that's not a very nice way to thank me for saving you!"_

_Krad whirled. "What!?"_

"_Yep! You lost a lot of blood and passed out. I cleaned it up a little but if you don't stop the bleeding it could be dangerous even for you. You don't have your tamer to help you anymore, remember?"_

_Krad snorted and put his hands on his hips, glaring at Dark. "I can take care of myself. You're not a doctor Mousy."_

_Dark sighed. "Just trying to help…" The thief could see this was going to be difficult. How the hell was he supposed to get rid of the darkness now?!_

_Just before the violent-eyed thief took off, he swore he heard Krad mumble. "But…could I do it? I've never tried…"_

I moaned, rolling over. I had forgotten I had been resting on the couch however, and tumbled face first onto the tile floor. "Ow…" I dusted myself off and got to my feet, rubbing my head. "That weird dream again…but different."

I was roused from my thoughts by the sound of my cell phone buzzing in my pocket. I fished it out and flicked it open. "Yo."

"Hey Dark-san!" It was Ria. "I was wondering if you'd forgotten you still had a class left today…class starts in a couple of minutes."

"SHIT!" I snapped my phone closed. I leaped up and snatched my textbook and notepad for the next class, which I had left on the kitchen counter carelessly the day before. I hurried outside, not forgetting to lock the door behind me as I dashed for the school. "Oh man! My dream must have taken forever!"

I forced my legs to move faster. "Damn you Krad!" I snarled in my head, and got an odd sense of déjà vu.

I raced for my class, managing to arrive just before the professor came in the room. I heaved a sigh of relief and plopped into a seat besides Ria. "Thanks." I panted. "You saved me Ria!"

"No problem Dark-san." She smiled, flushing with happiness at my complement. "But, are you alright? That's twice you've almost been late today. What were you doing?"

"Sleeping." I grunted and she giggled.

"Did you not sleep well last night?"

"You could call it that…"

"Dark Mousy, Ria Harada! Pay attention!" the teacher snapped and Ria jumped.

"Yes sir." We chorused.

"Hey Dark-kun?" Dai leaned forward in his seat. He and Santo had this class as well.

"What is it Dai-chan?" I hissed back, turning a little in my seat. Luckily, I never sat in the front but this professor had better hearing and sight than the others.

"Um…does this have anything to do with your friend?" I gave him a confused look, dreading that he was thinking of the "friend" I thought he was. "You know the one you were drawing earlier."

"Oh, that's Krad." I said vaguely, wishing desperately he would just drop it.

"Well, you seemed like you were thinking about him a lot. You didn't even notice you were sketching him. So-" Daire bit his lip. "I wanted to know who he was. How come I haven't seen him before?"

"He-He doesn't matter!" I snapped and leaped out of my chair, tearing out of the classroom.

"Dark Mousy! What are you doing?!" the professor snarled after me.

"I think he's going to be sick." I heard Santo say calmly in reply. Great, I owed the creep now!

I didn't stop, streaming out of the classroom and streaking off. I had no idea where I was going but I wasn't concerned and let my feet carry me. I felt like I was flying and my back itched again. I swore loudly when I saw where my feet had carried me-the place where I first saw Krad, if that's who it had been.

I sighed, putting my hands behind my head. What to do? "Ah well, it can't hurt to look around a little…" I mumbled out loud and trudged down the street, moving my head back and forth to scan the road ahead for long blonde locks.

'This is going to take forever!' Despite my thoughts, it was only a short while before I spotted a shimmer of gold in front of me. I ran towards it to get a closer look.

What I saw confused me. Krad was curled up, asleep, on the pavement, leaning against one of the houses. He was twitching and mumbling something in his sleep, and his hand kept clenching and unclenching.

"Should I wake him up?" I thought. His dream looked suspiciously like a nightmare and I wanted to ask him if he'd been having the dreams too. I reached out and gently brushed my hand against his shoulder.

When I touched him, golden eyes cracked open slowly. "Dark?" he said sleepily, and absolutely innocently.

Then his eyes narrowed and he lunged forward, succeeding in choking me for a few seconds before I broke away. "Mousy!" he snarled, and I could almost see white wings flaring up in rage.

"W-what?" I squeaked, taking a step back. Was this guy bi-polar or something?

Krad's eyes suddenly lost the glazed and almost feral look and he seemed to take in his surroundings and wake up more clearly. He instantly flinched against the wall. "I'm not loitering! I was just having a short reprieve from a long jog and I-" He blinked, golden orbs regarding me with a curious air. "Who are you?"

I gave him a confused look. "Uh I'm Dark. Dark Mousy. " He had just said my first and last name a second before. What did he mean by "Who are you?"

'So…does he have Bipolar and short term memory loss?!' I thought, perplexed. What was with this guy?!

"Krad Hikari." His words made my heart pound even faster in my ribcage. This _was_ Krad! "I'm sorry; I seem to have made an error. I had mistaken you for the owner of this structure. Even still, I feel as if I know you from somewhere…"

What was I supposed to say? 'Oh! You do know me; you woke up, said my name and then proceeded to strangle me?! I'm not sure exactly about our relationship, but I keep having this dreams about us being angels that have magic powers…' I groaned in frustration. "Uh…same with me…"

Krad's strange eyes seemed to wander up and down my body, assessing every part of me. It was very unnerving. "Well, _Dark_, did you have some business with me or do you plan to stand here all day with that idiotic expression on your face?" Krad asked curtly.

I flinched, cleared my face, and fought the urge to punch him. "I was just wondering why you were lying there." I made up, feeling sort of proud of myself. Now that I looked however, I realized that I was quite curious. Krad was wearing a tattered white shirt and asphalt stained cream colored jeans. His tennis-shoes were ripped and so filthy it was impossible to tell what color they were supposed to be. "Where's your house?" I asked, concerned. Did Krad live on by himself? Maybe that's why his appearance was that of a disheveled, and considerably poor, teenager.

Krad's cheeks were tinted with rose as he noticed my observations. He huffed and turned away from me, most likely to hide his blush. "Well, if you must know, I live all around." He replied, still not meeting my eyes.

"All around?" I echoed, bewildered.

Krad rolled his eyes. "I don't stay in one area for very long. I move around. I don't have stable living arrangements."

"Oh," was the only thing I managed to get out. He lived on the streets?!

"Oh." he echoed teasingly, in a whiny version of my voice.

"Err…I mean, I was just surprised. I hadn't realized-" Ugh, I felt _so_ stupid!

"You hadn't realized I was homeless and incredibly poor compared to your hoity-toity self? I take what I can get and I am perfectly fine with this lifestyle thank you very much." Krad huffed again and got to his feet. "Well , I can't say it was a pleasure to meet you, but I must be going."

"Wait!" I cried, not really sure why. "I-I didn't mean that! I just didn't think someone as smart as you-"

Golden orbs narrowed. "So the homeless can't be intelligent? They have to be mentally retarded or stupid? Is that what you're saying?!"

"NO!" I practically screamed. "I'm sorry, okay! Just forget I said anything."

Krad rolled his eyes again. "I'll be happy to."I heaved a sigh of relief.

"Uh, can you tell me how long you'll be staying here?" I asked, shifting my stance a little.

The blonde gave me a look as if to say "Why do you care?" but answered anyway. "I'm not positive but I tend to stay in an area for three or four days. I've already been here for a while so perhaps a few more days…"

"Okay!" I flashed a grin and Krad gave me a strange look.

"You sure are an odd one…" he mumbled picking up a pack lying behind him I hadn't seen before. "What's a prosperous person such as you doing in _this _part of town? Hmm?"

I was stumped. I couldn't tell him about seeing him the other day; he might think I was a stalker or something. "I-I was just taking a walk, you know, and I wandered here." Okay, _lame_ excuse. I was so going to hang myself after this. If I was Daire, I'd be blushing like crazy by this point. I was barely able to keep the heat from rising to my cheeks.

"Ah." Krad pushed off the wall and jumped from the sidewalk in a flourish. "Well, goodbye Dark. It was…" he paused, presumably searching for the right word, "interesting speaking with you."

"You too. Will-Will I see you around?" I asked, fingering a lock of violet hair and twisting it in my hand.

"I suppose." was the golden-eyed boy's response as he walked away, hair streaming down his back and glowing as it caught the light. "Goodbye, Dark Mousy."

I shivered, realizing suddenly that the wind had picked up while I was talking with Krad. Goosebumps dotted my arms and legs. Crossing my arms across my chest, I trudged home, all the way, thinking about Krad and the new information I had gained about him.

There were still so many questions I had. How had he known my name before I had told him, then suddenly forgot? Did he have the dreams too and if so, had he been too embarrassed to mention them?

And how had he known that I was one of the upper class? My outfit didn't really give anything away did it? It was perfectly normal.

I decided I would try to find him again tomorrow.

When I arrived back at my apartment, I had received 6 calls from my friends and my cell phone, which I had put on silent during class and left that way during my exchange with Krad, had four missed calls and three unread text messages. I sighed. Ria and Dai were probably freaking out. Sure enough, Daire and Ria's slightly grainy voices got increasingly worried the more messages I listened to.

I groaned. I would have to call them back. I dialed Ria's number, but I was sure Daire, Ry and Sat would be there as well. I wondered if they were at someone's house or still at campus. I wasn't sure what time it was.

"Hello?" Ria's frantic voice pierced through the phone and I winced. "Dark-san, is this you?!"  
"Yeah." I replied, going to sit on the couch. I was sure we'd be talking for an hour if she got really worked up.

"Oh Dark-san! Where were you? Are you alright? Are you sick? I could come over and help you if you need it!" I heard some rustling in the background and then Dai's voice greeted me through the device.

"Dark? I'm sorry. Was it something I said? If it was about Krad….I'm sorry. I won't bring it up again if you don't want me-"

"Slow down!" I laughed, shaking my head. "Its fine Dai, I just needed some fresh air. Oh, and thank Santo for covering me for me. K?"

"Er…ok, Ria wants to talk again." Once again, I was greeted with a faint rustling sound before Ria's voice found me.

"Dark-san?"

"Hmm?"

"So, does that mean you are sick? We had you on speaker and I heard what you said about needing air. Do you have the flu?"

"Uh, I don't think so. I'm really fine guys…"

Ria sighed in exasperation. "Hey, how come you didn't answer any of our calls or texts? We were worried!" I thought I heard a shout of "I wasn't!" in the background. Rylie no doubt.

"I was sleeping." I lied. "My cell was on silent still so I didn't hear it ring."

"Oh." She paused for a few seconds. "Well, call me if you need anything. We'll all be at Daire's house for a while 'cause Santo's explaining the lesson to us and Ry is making you a copy of the notes."

"Thanks." I replied, quite honestly. I had taken almost no notes for the class so I felt better if I could copy one of theirs. "Er….I gotta go."

"No problem. Feel better Dark-san!" And she hung up.

**Krad's POV**

Dark Mousy was perhaps the strangest person I had met in my life, and living on the streets, I had met some _very_ weird people. For some reason, I felt the name Dark fit him, and it was something more than his obvious partiality towards dark clothes and his shadowy features.

I frowned. I could have sworn I knew him from somewhere, and my head was pounding trying to decide where I had seen him before. I shook my head, blonde locks drifting across my face.

'Nonsense!' I scolded myself. 'I didn't remember him and he didn't remember me. We were just introduced, after all.'

I couldn't seem to grasp even how he seemed familiar to me, he just was. I was a little conflicted about staying now. In a way, I felt drawn to Dark but the other part of me rebelled, warning me not to get close and that shady situations should be avoided. But Dark hadn't seemed like a cruel person, although it was difficult to judge if his kindness and carefree nature was a façade. Something told him that was just how Dark behaved.

Skirting a group of drunken men, by slipping into an alleyway, I pondered the violet-haired young man I had just met. I blinked and rubbed at my eyes, hard. I had not just seen that. But, as soon as I thought about the thief-the thief, where had that come from?-with the same intensity as before the memory, or day dream, it was impossible to tell, replayed.

_Krad shifted, liking the feeling of doing whatever he liked without an objection or a demand from Satoshi-sama. Now he could attack Dark without fearing Satoshi would force him to change back and if Dark passed out, Dark couldn't let the Niwa take over and get away, as it seemed the red-head was not connected to Dark, either. _

_The only problem was, there wasn't much to do or see here. 'If I do kill Dark now, then I'll die of boredom.' Krad mused. 'There's absolutely nothing here. I need to get out of here and then I'll kill him. At least I'll have some form of entertainment outside if Dark was to die.'_

'_But, I don't think my power is strong enough alone to break this barrier. I'm weak from fighting Dark before we were sealed and adjusting to the Black Wings. Even with full strength I probably wouldn't be able to get out.' Krad pondered this information, hugging his wings a little closer to his form. _

'_Perhaps…I could create something to pass the time? Maybe even shape beings or structures! I am a Hikari after all…'_

'W-What was that?' I thought wildly. 'Some sort of strange dream, or a lost memory…I can't tell…' I stopped walking, sliding to the ground against the alleyway wall. This was Dark Mousey's fault, this strange day dream. I tried again, thinking of the boy I had talked about in the beginning of the strange memory. 'Satoshi-sama?'

Immediately, an image of a young boy with cerulean hair and piercing blue eyes flashed before me. He wore glasses and a calm look, and somehow I could recall that he was a police commander.

Was I finally going insane? Was life on the streets getting to me? One thing was for certain, I needed to find Dark again, the strange youth who had spoken to me and somehow brought about these possibly fake memories. Would he know what they meant? Either way, I needed to see him.

Luckily, Dark would probably find me tomorrow anyway, so I didn't have to worry about taking the time to seek him out.

I crawled further into the alleyway and lay down, exhausted, and almost immediately my breathing evened out and I found myself in a dream.

_Blackness surrounded him. He was blind, and utterly alone. Was this…death? After all, he had been sealed. He wasn't sure what to expect but death was defiantly one of the possibilities he had considered. _

_His back was cold as if he was lying on a tile floor, but he seemed to be floating in darkness. He felt like someone was touching him, but he was too tired to care. _

_Wait…how could someone touch him if he was dead? Suddenly, a voice broke the darkness around him. "Wake up Krad!" The voice was impatient and very familiar but that's not what concerned Krad. _

_He wasn't dead! Immediately, the blonde was on his feet, golden eyes whipping around in the blackness for the owner of the voice who had awoken him. _

"_Who's there?" Krad snarled, circling. He scanned the area, trying to spot the other occupant of the dark abyss. If it was an enemy, he would tear them apart! The only person he could imagine was not the enemy in the situation was Satoshi-sama, but how would he be here and out of his body?_

_No, it was an enemy, but Krad was hoping beyond hope it wasn't the particular enemy he was thinking of, the only one that could logically be here with him in this situation. The Phantom Thief. _

_Movement caught his eye, and he focused his gaze on that area as violet hair and eyes slowly came into view, followed by slightly tan skin and a outfit as dark as their environment. _

_Dark Mousy. Even in the Black Wings, he was confident and was strutting towards him, smiling even! The nerve of that thief! The hunter's only comfort was the glimpse of fear he saw hidden in Mousy's gaze. He knew the thief too well to be fooled by his trick to conceal his apprehension. _

"_So, Krad? How do you like your new home? Comfortable?" Dark was still grinning and getting closer. Krad felt a massive migraine coming on. 'Annoying thief.' He narrowed his eyes out of habit, meeting the Kaito ( This means thief in Japanese)'s gaze evenly, determined to show him only hatred._

"_Mousy." Krad growled, heading towards the thief, eyes flashing dangerously. "How dare you seal us!"_

"_It was for the better!" Dark pleaded, and retreated a little. Krad hid his mental grin. The first point was his! _

"_And look; now you have your own body!" Mousy continued, and suddenly, Krad realized that he couldn't detect Satoshi-sama, not even locked in the corner of his mind. 'Satoshi-sama?' the white-winged angel called, just to make sure that the young commander truly was gone. _

_Right now, he didn't even care that Dark had established a small mental link with him. He was free! "So he really is gone." Krad said, pondering this miracle and then chuckled and licked his lips, happily. Did that mean-? "And your tamer? The red-head brat?"_

"_Gone as well." Dark sighed and Krad felt his heart beat increase, relishing in the possibilities. It would be so much easier to get rid of that pesky thief now!_

"_How are we still alive?" Krad asked, raising an eyebrow. "I thought we were sealed. We should be merged!"_

"_Maybe when that Hiwatari (AN: Dark means Kei Hiwatari, Satoshi's adoptive father. See the end of the anime) tried to break the seal too late? Well, it doesn't matter now. We're here, alive and separate so let's enjoy it!" Dark smiled, the same cocky one he always used._

_Krad looked around, taking in the darkness around them fully for the first time. There really wasn't much to enjoy. Krad saw Dark shift as the blonde looked around and Krad looked up, watching the thief's every move. "What are you staring at?!" Krad hissed. He felt his wings tensing and ruffling a little as they tended to do when he was on edge. What was Dark doing?! What was his purpose? _

"_Krad, are you injured?" Dark spouted, randomly. Krad could tell he was trying to portray that he cared about his counterpart but the golden-eyed demon could see through that easily. The thief was merely curious. Krad had no idea why the dark-haired male would ask._

_Krad sniffed, feeling offended that the thief thought so lowly of him. "Why would I be? Your attacks barely graze me, Mousy." Of course, the thief could never injure him without his knowledge. It was impossible! _

"_You took a while waking up, so I thought maybe you had gotten hurt." Dark replied, beaming. "If that's the case, you can borrow some of this shirt. I can take off my coat and-" _

_Krad knew it was fake. Dark Mousy didn't care about him in the least. Even the caring smile was fake! "Idiot." Krad smirked, laughing cruelly. "You think I would accept help from you?! I can't understand you! Or rather, you cannot understand me." He laughed again, but despite his chuckling he remained cold and aloof to Dark's pathetic pretend attempts to care about him. _

"_It was worth a try!" Dark shrugged and his nonchalance seemed to mock Krad further. "And anyway, we shouldn't fight anymore. We have to get along in here."_

_Was the Phantom Thief stupid? They could _never _be more than enemies! "There's no requirement that states we have to get along." Krad scoffed. "You're just making excuses to preserve your life. Now, you can't hide behind the mask of that red-haired child. And believe me Dark; I have no intention of letting you live." _

_The blonde grinned in glee as Dark trembled. He had succeeded in making Dark reveal his fear of the other artwork! _

"_Sleep on it." Dark cried, sickeningly happy, and shooting out his wings, spiraled upward. Krad, in a fit of rage sent a blast of ice magic after him, but it was dodged-of course. _

_Boiling with rage, Krad's brain suddenly received an idea. An idea, that had never crossed his mind before._

'_Could I do it? Is it…possible?'_

AN: So…what do you think? Better? Worse? Please let me know and REVIEW! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!!! =D


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Hey everybody! This is a little later than I expected to be posting but I hope you enjoy this chapter. There is a lot more of our favorite blonde in store. YES! =P Anyways, please read and review and thanks to Deadrat309, QueenofthePirates, Fireflower19, Dark Hearted Shinobi, and The Lantern for your awesome reviews!

Chapter 3:

**Dark's POV**

I could barely concentrate on the school work my Precalculus I class was going over. "Ugh…" I groaned, apparently not as silently as I had intended, as Daire gave me a pitying look.

"Are you still sick Dark?" Daire asked, light crimson eyes widening. "Maybe you should go home and take it easy. I can take notes for you if you want."

"I'm fine." I had to reign in my temper or I would have snapped at Dai. It wasn't the red-head's fault that suddenly all I wanted to do was to see Krad again and that had not helped with my strange fascination with drawing the golden-haired youth.

My page was covered with sketches of Krad instead of the notes I was supposed to be taking on the problems most students were having troubles with. The page was littered with pencil sketches of my new "friend", some with wings, others glaring or smirking, while the biggest one on the top of the page was a sketch of Krad's face when he was blushing. God, I was obsessed.

As soon as the class was over, I bolted. That class had been the worst, despite my love of mathematics courses; I was barely able to soak in the information like usual. Was I slowly going insane? What was with me and this Krad person?

Even still, with no further word to my friends I skipped my last class of the day and hurried off to the poorer part of the city where I would find Krad.

Alien golden-caramel eyes watched me from a roof top. The only question running through my head was: 'How the hell did he get up there?'

It was a different house then the day before, so it had taken longer to locate him, but the glimmering golden hair was hard to miss and I had eventually found him, staring at me with a curious expression on his face atop a stranger's rooftop.

What I meant to ask was the question that kept running though my head 'Do you have the dreams?' but what came out was "How did you get up there?" He cocked his head to the side in question, a habit it seemed the both of us shared.

He didn't speak very loudly, but I could easily hear the clear, educated voice from my position directly beneath the roof top he was sitting on. "The fence." Krad shrugged, as if this was the most sane and easiest answer in the world.

"You climbed the side yard fence and jumped on the roof?!" I exclaimed, disbelievingly. "And this isn't even your house; do you have permission from the owners?"

Krad raised an eyebrow. "It wasn't difficult to do so. As for permission, is it against the law to sit on someone's roof? Whether it is or not, I have broken the law before so this makes no difference to me."

I frowned. _Was it against the law to sit on someone's roof? Loitering…? _"You should still come down. I can't talk to you very well if you're up there."

Krad rolled his eyes. How I was able to tell what he was doing, despite my sight being currently blinded by the sun, which currently was directly behind Krad, was beyond me. "Then come up, _Mousy_."

Mousy!?What did that remind me of? I gasped. The dream Krad called me that! "T-Then you've had them too!"

Krad gave me a quizzical look. "Had what exactly?"

"Those dreams! You must have them! You always call me Mousy!"

I thought I saw Krad's face freeze with horror and understanding and then he leapt from the roof and slid down the fence. "Y-You are referring the ones where we both have wings?!"

Dark's eyes lit up. He did have them! "Yes! Do you know what they mean?"

"No, but is remarkable that we both have seen them. Could they be memories of some sort?"

"Memories…I don't know….How can they be memories if we had wings in them? No one can have wings…" I couldn't really understand. What was going on? Were we…connected somehow? What was going on?!?!

Krad shook his head. "If we both have them, it's the only thing that makes sense. They cannot just dreams, because we both have seen it." He paused, sweeping a loose strand of blonde bangs from in front of his face. "This needs to be discussed more thoroughly. I will contact you tomorrow. Until then, Dark Mousy…"

I watched, forcing my jaw not to drop in awe, as Krad swept away and disappeared into an alleyway I hadn't even noticed.

**Krad's POV**

What does this mean? My rationality was seriously affected by this. If Dark had these-_memories_, I decided-then they couldn't be a figment of my imagination. I closed my eyes, although still moving quickly, for a moment to consider.

What I had told Dark was factual. If these dreams meant something, anything, then it needed to be discussed. Perhaps Dark remembered something I did not and I, at least, could tell him about the boy I had seen: Satoshi-sama.

In any case, I decided the first thing to do was to scrounge up a decent meal and then discover where the Mousy residence was. I opened my eyes and headed through the route I knew by heart, the way to my source of food. I had explored this place thoroughly, and the restaurant near the urban edge of town usually had piles of leftover food.

It was just my luck however, that as I came upon the place, I was not alone, and the leftovers were already being raided by two brutes. Both men were way out of my league, but there was no turning back, as I had already been spotted by the one closest to me.

"Hey kid!" the man's meaty arms were stretched out, almost like he wanted to give me a hug, but I knew better. What's a prize like you wandering all alone for?" He grinned, and I shivered, taking a step back.

I forced my voice to sound calm. "I was...looking for someone but as he is not here, I will go elsewhere. If you will excuse me…" I turned to flee but I was too late; the brute's arm was already wrapped around my waist and the other was following suit, pinning my arms behind my back.

"Please!" I cried, trying to keep the fear out of my voice. "I really have to leave now!" I twisted, trying to dislodge my arms from the second man's grip, but he just squeezed harder in response, causing me to yelp in pain.

This of course, only fueled the actions of the first burly stranger. He walked around so that he was in front of me, and put a fat finger under my chin so I had to gaze into his dark brown eyes. "You shouldn't be heading off by yourself you know, something might-"he licked his lips "happen to you."

I bit my tongue, terror making my heart pump faster. As of now, my only course of action was to try to get loose because I could imagine what they planned to do with me, and it wasn't pleasant. I lashed out with my legs striking the man holding my arms into a nearby trashcan and tore away from the other, fleeing towards my alleyways.

_If I could only shake them!_ And then, the brown-eyed one was on top of me, crushing the air from my lungs and causing my head to snap against the cement. I cried out, feeling my arm get twisted into an awkward angle. It felt sprained.

"No!" I forced my body to push upward, but my captor's superior weight felt like a ton of boulders were smashing my form. I could barely move.

"Now…" he hissed in my ear. "Are you ready to behave yourself?"

A tear ran down my cheek and he spotted it, catching it on his thumb and putting the greasy digit in his mouth, relishing the taste of my misfortune. "Mmm…"

Rage coursed through my veins and I collided the back of my head with his face, my head the only weapon still at my disposal. He cursed and his weight shifted a little, giving me the opportunity to wiggle from his grasp. I could feel crimson blood, running from the wound on my head, and this distracted me. I was preoccupied so I wasn't aware until too late that the one on the ground had called, "Matso, get the bitch!"

Matso, as I now knew the other enemy to be called, raced towards me and landed a punch right at my left eye, causing me to scream in pain. That would defiantly be a black eye. I lashed outward, blindly, catching him in the stomach and then I started sprinting away again, frightened and at the same time, furious.

I was starving and beat up, and these two idiots had claimed the best food. I snatched a half-eaten hamburger from a dumpster as I ran by, and thankfully, now that Matso and the other thug knew I wasn't coming back, they didn't follow, or they weren't very fast runners.

Even still, I kept running until I was near the other side of the area and plopped to a seat on the sidewalk, exhausted. I dug into my hamburger, considering it good spoils despite my unfortunate run-in with the thugs. Someone hadn't enjoyed this meal very much, but to me, it was heaven.

After I'd finished, I explored a little, looking for a phone book I could use to discover Dark's address. My wounds were still throbbing and I was sure I didn't have much time left before I fainted from exhaustion, but I kept walking, wiping my still heavily bleeding head and clearing the blood running down my forehead away from my eyes. I wiped the blood on the wall as I passed. It wasn't like I was the first to do so. At least my shirt wouldn't be stained.

I had no idea why I found pleasure in wearing white clothing, as they were almost immediately stained and torn, so the pure color I loved was ruined, but I refused to wear anything else. It seemed like I had enjoyed wearing white in the dream world too.

I shook my head, clearing the straying thoughts from my mind. I needed to concentrate, or I was sunk. I had to find Dark's address and discover a place where I could safely sleep before I passed out on the sidewalk.

Phonebooks were hard to come by, but I found one, eventually, hanging by a thread to a smashed pay-phone. I ripped it free and skipped to the "M" section for Mousy.

I located Dark's name and ripped his address out of the phonebook and tossed it to the ground. I hurried off, and found a place to rest in a cramped side street. Before I fell unconscious, I memorized Dark's address: it sounded like he lived in an apartment; I thought I recalled passing through the area at night.

After that was finished, I slipped the important fragment of paper into my jeans' pocket and passed out. That night, would be the last night where my rest wasn't plagued by those strange dreams.

The next morning, I reset my arm. It hurt like hell, but now it wasn't in such a strange position anymore. I was glad I had remember to do it before I had left for Dark's because I didn't want anyone to hear the pathetic cry of pain that left my lips as I fixed the sprain. Feeling cramped and in pain, but slightly refreshed, I got to my feet, checked Dark's address and started to head for the richer area. For some reason, I always knew where I was going, even when I'd never seen a place before and it turned out, I hadn't even needed to memories his address.

As soon as I spotted an apartment building, I knew-just knew, I'm not sure how- that this was where he was. I climbed a flight of stairs and moved to the black door that was in front of me. He was here.

Sure enough, as I got closer, this apartment's address and number matched the one I had memorized last night. This was, in all honesty, slightly creepy.

I proceeded to knock, and I heard a groan from the other side of the door and a mumbled "Coming…" I suddenly realized how early it was, around five thirty in the morning and I took in my ruffled appearance; dried blood on my forehead and in my hair, and ruffled and asphalt-stained clothing, and I was sure I had a black eye as well.

I was a run-away, a stray, knocking on the door of a wealthy college student I had only met twice. What was I thinking? Even still, I waited until the door was opened and didn't make any move to run at all. Dark's violet eyes, slightly hazy with sleep, greeted me and he seemed just as shocked as I was at my appearance.

"What the hell happened to you?" he asked, rubbing his eyes as if he believed I was a dream.

I shrugged. "I got into a small scuffle last night. I had no major injuries so I saw fit to come over today."

Dark blinked. "Uh…well, come in Krad. I guess I'll just stay home today." He opened the door a little wider and I stepped inside, taking off my destroyed tennis-shoes and scanning his living courters.

It wasn't very big, but Dark had a kitchen, and living room and I assumed a bathroom and bedroom all to himself. There were papers strewn on the kitchen counter and covering the coffee table and couch in the living room, but the place had a homely air to it. I noted the large pile of dishes ready to be cleaned and wondered how much he ate every day. Probably more than I had in a week.

"It's…humble for someone with wealth but very pleasant. Thank you for allowing me inside your home." I said politely, nodding to my host.

Dark gave me a quizzical look. "Yeah, sure." He snagged a coffee cup from the kitchen counter, cleared some papers from the couch and plopped down; beckoning to me as if to say, "Join me". I reasoned it would be rude to decline, but I was sure he would have to clean that couch three times to get rid of the evidence of my presence there. Namely, blood, dirt and sweat. I felt bad for his couch.

I sat, and fixed him with a searching stare. "Alright. Tell me. What do your dreams involve?"

He frowned, taking a sip of his coffee to buy him time. There was not steam from the beverage, and he was still in his pajamas, so I reasoned this was last night's unfinished batch of coffee. "Not much I guess…" He blinked sleepily, and I felt incredibly guilty for waking him. However, I was sure if I had called later, he would have been out.

"Uh…we were in a dark space. I think I called it the 'Black Wings'. I was looking for someone. A boy called Daisuke. Then…I found you, and in both my dreams, you were knocked out. It seemed like we were enemies, because I would try to talk to you and you would sneer at me."

" Then…we had wings. Mine were black and yours were white I think. Oh! And you had this magic stuff…it was a ball that you through at me… I think….that's about all I got." He rubbed the back of his neck and colored a little, like he was embarrassed of the absurdity of his words." How about you?"

I sighed, absorbing the information Dark had given me. "Much of the things I learned correspond with what you saw. I called you Mousy, and I often referred to you as 'Thief.' I was looking for someone as well, although a different person, one I called 'Satoshi-sama.'

"In any case, I also was thinking about something during the dream. Right when it was ending, I thought '_Could I do it? Is it…possible?_' I'm not sure what it was that popped into my head, but I really wanted to know if it would work."

"Ah!" Dark cried, leaping up from the couch. "I heard you say that too! In my first dream! I heard it over some sort of link with you." He sat, his face twisted into a frown, and he seemed to be concentrating hard. "But I'm not sure what you were talking about…"

"Oh! One more thing." I added, meeting Dark's gaze. "Some of the dreams seem to transfer to real-life. For example, if I think about you or this 'Satoshi-sama' person, I am able to learn things about them. Also, when I was looking for your apartment, I just seemed to 'know' where I was going, without even realizing it!"

"Whoa…" Dark gave me an awe-filled glance. "The only thing that's happened to me is when I think certain things I get déjà vu and sometimes my back itches, like I actually have wings there." He blinked, his gaze dropping to his coffee cup. He swirled the liquid once and sighed. "But what does it mean? Are we both insane or is there some reason why we keep having these dreams?"

"How am I supposed to know?" I shook my head. "In any case, there must be a reason…and we are _not_ insane, or else we wouldn't be seeing the same things. I'll think about it." I got up to leave and Dark leapt after me, grabbing me around the waist, and causing me to shiver, remembering the other hands that had resided there in the past.

"Sorry." Dark mumbled, and pulled away. "But…you're hurt. Stay in here, just for today. I can get you food and get you cleaned up. Maybe you can borrow some of my clothes too…" It was a tempting offer. A taste of a luxury I hadn't enjoyed since I had escaped my 'family'; the Hikari. Should I take this chance? Dark could end up being just like those two from behind the restaurant. I didn't feel like repeating that fiasco.

Despite my mixed feelings, without even being conscious of it, I felt my lips move, and I had agreed. I saw Dark's face light up. "This is going to be great!" he crowed. "First, I'll get you something to eat, 'cause you're _way_ too skinny for your own good. What do you want?"

I blinked and smirked. "My preference depends on what you have, Dark Mousy."

"Alright then, you'll have what I'm having!" He rummaged around in his freezer until he emerged with a box labeled "Eggo's Frozen Waffles." He grinned at me, and then put the ice cold pieces into the toaster. I shook my head, noting that he probably had no cooking talent what so ever. It was free food, though, and not already half eaten, so I wasn't complaining.

It smelled heavenly, especially when he added butter and syrup from his refrigerator to the previously frozen meal. He handed the plate to me complete with the necessary utensils. I ate delicately, half afraid the delectable breakfast with disappear. It didn't, thankfully, and I finished it all, despite my disgust as Dark wolfed down his share. It was a wonder he didn't choke.

"Good, huh?" Dark cried, cockily. "Have 'um every morning…unless I'm too busy." I raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment. He didn't seem to notice in his overflowing enthusiasm. "Alright, now you're getting in the shower. I'll lend you some clothes and then I can get a look at your injuries. They don't look too bad…" I cut him off.

"I can take care of myself. You're not a doctor Mousy." I thought I saw Dark flinch and regretted snapping at him, and then, all of a sudden, his eyes clouded over. I waited a second or two and then he shook his head, unfreezing. "You've said that before….except…never mind. Come on, I'll show you where the bathroom is."

**Dark's POV**

While Krad was taking a shower, I left an outfit on the sink, sat on the couch, and thought over the strange memory I had received as Krad had said. "I can take care of myself. You're not a doctor Mousy." I had seen Krad looking at me fiercely with his hands on his hips, daring me to challenge his words. The white robe I had always seen him in was stained with blood, and despite his harsh gaze, I could tell he was in pain. I had seen this before!

In the second dream I had, I remembered, this exact thing happening again. Could I tap into these foreign memories while awake like Krad had? I bit my lip, and then, feeling a little daring, tried. I pictured Krad, of course in the robe I had always seen him in those memories and turned his name over in my mind. _'Krad Hikari.' _

A million memories flooded my head at that moment, and I gasped in surprise, dropping to my knees and pressing my hand to my aching scull. "Argh…" I moaned, and tried to make sense of what I had seen so quickly.

'_Hey Dai…you all changed yet? Come on, I wanna start stealing!' Dark wined, peering at his tamer while in his astral form. _

_Daisuke was examining himself in a mirror, tugging half-heartedly at the various belts and a buckle on the outfit Dark was to appear in tonight. "Fine…" the red-head sighed, "But can you try to hurry? I've got school tomorrow you know!" _

"_Yah, yeah…" Dark mumbled and disappeared into his corner of the boy's mind before crimson strands lengthened to violent and Dark brushed a stray bang from his eyes. "Alright Daisuke…Let's go!"_

_Flying was great; it always was. Dark surveyed the city from above, circling towards the museum where his latest heist would take place. The artwork Emiko wanted him to seal was titled: "The Phoenix's Breath" and was one of the lesser known Hikari statues. However, it had recently become active and started flying around, causing a ruckus. Not only did people see the bird, but the statue had the power to control wind._

_Emiko and Daiki had told him it was top priority. _

_Getting back to the present, Dark headed down the stairs and listened to Emiko squeal about how cute he was and took the map Emiko had given him as well. The place where "The Phoenix's Breath" was displayed was circled. _

_Nodding once and promising to be careful, Dark shouted for Wiz and took off, trying to ignore his tamer's yammering about being careful and hurrying home. "Honestly Daisuke! You're acting like your mother!" That shut him up._

_When they arrived, it was all too easy for Dark to slip into the museum unnoticed by any of the police surrounding the area. A thong of people had turned up just to try to get a glimpse of him. Now those were real fans!_

_Following the map, Dark skirted some booby traps and made it to the right side of the museum, grinning to himself. These tiny little tricks were no match for the Phantom Thief Dark-_

"_Mousy." Krad's voice broke the silence of the museum and brought the violet-haired teen back to his task for tonight. Finally, a challenge!  
"Krad. So _good_ to see you." Dark called sarcastically, taking a step towards his other half. "I gotta seal that little birdie now, so I'll play with you some other time." The thief made a lunge for the statue, but was shoved away by his counterpart, causing him to tumble backwards._

"_Not so fast, thief. Your luck ends tonight." Krad smirked, launching a feather Dark's way._

_Dark cried out as the feather struck his shoulder, his dodge too slow to avoid contact. 'Dark!' Daisuke cried, gasping. 'Are you alright?' Dark could barely hear his tamer, concentrating instead on blocking out the pain and trying to ignore Krad's awful grin._

"_Is that really all you have Mousy? Such a shame…"_

Just then, Krad entered the room. I hadn't heard the water turn off, but Krad's hair was darker, as if wet and he was changed into the clothes I had left for him: a purple polo t-shirt and some blue jeans. He didn't seem very comfortable in them, but it made him look less like the Krad from my strange memories.

"Well…what do you propose we do now?" Krad asked, taking a seat gracefully on the couch.

"Dunno…I had another one of those weird dreamy –things." I told him, coming to sit beside's him.

Krad raised an eyebrow. "And?"

"It was different. We weren't in that blackness…we were in the real world. But we still had powers and-" I sighed. "You still hated me."

Krad grimaced and closed his eyes, leaning back on the couch as if he was thinking very hard. "What were you doing?"

"Stealing. A statue called….'The Phoenix's Breath'…and I think one of your relatives made it. I remember knowing a Hikari had created it."

"Hmm…" Krad mumbled, but didn't open his eyes. "So that's why…"

"Why what?" I asked, puzzled.

"Why I have a tendency to call you 'thief' in my memories."

"Yeah! It was….weird. Somehow I had to 'seal' that bird, with magic I guess…"

"Magic." Krad let the word roll of his tongue. "Perhaps that's what caused this."

"Huh? Uh, Krad?" I asked, watching as his golden eyes flickered open and met mine. "Why do you hate so much…in the dreams?"

"I don't know." Krad let his eyes droop closed again. "I can't understand it. All I know is, all I want is you…" he paused and uttered the last word like a curse "dead."

I shivered, suddenly reminded of Krad's smirk and piercing glares from the dreams. "Seems like it."

We both jumped when my cell phone went off, and checking the caller ID, I sighed and picked up, putting it on speaker so Krad could hear as well. "Ria?"

"Hey Dark-san! Are you feeling better?" Krad raised an eyebrow at this and I had to hold back a snicker.

"Yeah, I'm cool. What's up?"

"Well, I need to deliver your notes, and Niwa-kun is having a party at his place. You know how Emiko gets…"

I laughed. "And you want me to come?"

"Yeah. Can you?"

"Well…" I tapped my chin thoughtfully and then grinned evilly. "Can I bring a friend along?" Krad gave me a wide-eyed glance and mouthed, 'Are you insane?'

"A friend? Um…sure. I guess that's ok. I'm excited to meet any friend of Dark-san's!"

"Awesome! What time's the party?" I asked, inwardly laughing at Krad's outraged expression.

"Today, actually! At 12:00. That's why I called so early, so you could pick out an outfit and stuff. So, are you coming?"

"Yeah. See you then ok, love?" I may have been imagining things, but I swore when I said that, Krad flinched a little.

"Okay! Love you Dark-san!" I hung up and collapsed back on the couch, suddenly really drained.

"Alright. Let me get dressed, and then we are going to the mall. We gotta get some clothes for you!"

"Clothes…for me? Do you honestly believe that I will be welcomed at a party with people I have never met? I see no need to accompany you where ever you go."

"Aww…come on!" I pouted, giving him my best innocent look. "It'll be fun! And hey, maybe you'll see something that will shed some light on what's going on! I'm sure my friends will like you!"

Krad frowned. "Very well."

**Krad's POV**

'Why had I agreed? Oh why, oh why had I ever accepted that idiot's terms?' I moaned, over and over to myself as I was forcefully dragged into yet _another_ shop. The fool had already purchased bag full of clothes for himself and a few-for me. I shivered.

It wasn't that I disliked his choices for me. In fact, I was rather glad he had stuck to white and a single blue shirt. He had insisted in fact, that I try nothing else on. "These are your colors! You would look good in yellow, but it's not really in style too much for men." He would make me try every outfit on and circle me like a fashion designer, finally shouting "No good!" or "We're keeping this!"

However, we had been walking for hours, only stopping to get a little snack an hour ago and Dark wasn't tired in the least! "Dark…" I murmured. "Can we go back to your place now? It's getting kind of late, and we already have quite a few outfits to choose from."

Dark whirled, his face filled with mock horror. "What!"

"Um…" _Obviously I had offended him…somehow. _"Well, we only need one outfit each for the party and...I'm getting quite exhausted."

Dark seemed to study me, his amethyst orbs trying to discern if I was lying or perhaps attempting to gauge my exhaustion. Whatever he found must have convinced him because his face fell, and he gave in. "Well, alright. I guess I should take a shower anyway." The smile returned almost immediately. "Ooh! I can do your hair!"

"Absolutely not! I refuse to allow that! Leave my poor hair alone!" I huffed and stalked towards the exit.

"Wait!"Dark wined and sprinted after me.

AN: So enjoyed it? Thought it was lame? Am I improving…getting worse(I sure hope not). Please let me know in a REVIEW and add if you have anything you want to see changed or want to add in this story. I try to please my readers to the best of my abilities. Thank you for reading!!!


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Arg! It's been FOREVER! So, as means of apology…. Some flashbacks and some D x K goodness for ya! XD Of course (*pouts*) I can't get into too much of that yet….*Sigh* But it's coming, don't worry!

Chapter 4:

**Krad's POV**

After we returned to Mousy's residence, Dark hopped into the shower while I headed into Dark's bedroom and proceeded to change into the outfit Dark had selected for me to wear to the party. For me, the shopping trip had been a minor success. The only thing I absolutely loathed that he had purchased for me was a white tux.

"_Explain to me when exactly I would require this?" I asked him, shoving the article of clothing into his face._

"_I don't know." Dark shrugged and gently brushed the fabric from blocking his view, his violet orbs meeting mine. "Just in case…"_

I shivered even at the memory, though for what reason I couldn't discern. Luckily for me, this gathering was casual and I did not require that hated article of clothing to go.

Dark had insisted that I leave my hair down. He had taken it down from its usual pony in an effort to put it in some strange hairdo, which I had adamantly refused to allow, when his eyes suddenly lit up.

_Long golden locks brushed against the side of my face and I frowned, angrily brushing them away. Of course, they returned. I sighed. Having my hair down would at least be better than what Dark had planned for me…_

_Dark was across the room, trying to read instructions in order to create the horrific look he was determined to force my hair into. His eyes were darting busily back and forth from the paper, and he grinned. I assumed he had understood the directions-and found them to his satisfaction-my guess conformed when he looked up from the sheet and let it float to the ground. _

_But, as soon as his eyes met mine, his smile melted away. I cocked my head to this side in question and he leaped towards me so quickly I jumped in shock when he shouted, "Don't move!" I froze, his tone of voice had shocked me; his voice had changed from carefree to a determined in an instant. He stalked even closer to me, brushing a strand of violet from obscuring his vision absentmindedly. _

"_Ah…" he sighed, staring at me, and I made a face. _

"_Ah, what?" I asked, perplexed and a little offended. _

"_Your hair…It looks good down." If I was a lesser person, I felt sure my cheeks would have been stained crimson._

Now, I was busying myself slipping on my shoes, completing the outfit. It actually wasn't a lot different from my old one consisting of a white shirt with black designs; creating a cross in the center of the shirt, some tight fitting cream-colored jeans and white and gold Vans.

Smoothing out the wrinkles from my shirt, I suddenly realized that I had been thinking hard enough that I had neglected to hear the shower turn off. I headed into Dark's living room to find him spread out on the couch, long arms and legs hanging off the couch and his mouth hanging open. He hadn't even bothered to change, so he was still dripping wet and only covered with a violet colored towel.

I blushed, but this wasn't the worst of it. His head was lulled to the side slightly, towards me, so I could see every detail of his form. He was mumbling something, and I swore I heard my name amongst the nonsense. Despite the slight movement of his body in response to his dream, his face was peaceful, even more so then when he was awake, which I hadn't thought possible.

I liked it; seeing him like this. At ease, and not stressed at all, but seeing him looking so serene made a strange part of me want to strangle him.

"_He's defenseless and weak now…just kill him. It'll be easy…"_

Horrified, my hand leapt to my forehead to check for a fever. What was that just now?

Dark's face twisted into a frown, and it looked as if he was angry. His fidgeting had increased too.

I hurriedly shook him awake, and thankfully, as soon as his amethyst eyes opened, the feeling was gone.

"Wha-…Krad?" Dark mumbled sleepily, blinking.

"You were asleep." I informed him, smirking.

"Ah shit! What time is it? Are we late for the party?" Dark leaped to his feet, scurrying to the kitchen to check the time on his microwave.

"Not yet, but if you don't wish to be utterly humiliated, I suggest you get your clothes on." Dark froze and suddenly seemed to notice that he was wet and half-clothed.

"AHH!"

**Dark's POV**

Damn, I had totally forgotten I was still in a towel. I was having another one of those strange memories and I must have passed out on the couch. I faintly remembered collapsing there before all I could see was the dream…

_Dark yawned. The Phantom Thief was currently lying on the ground, arms and legs spread out and head lulled slightly to the side. He had no idea what time it was, but he was getting really sleepy and it wasn't just his exhaustion. He was so bored, his mind was playing tricks on him, leading him to believe that Daisuke was calling him and then in a flash, his tamer's voice would be gone and he would be alone again. _

_He shook his head, getting to his feet and cartwheel-ing about in an effort to keep his mind sharp. 'Who knows when Krad will attack me…but I'm so BORED….' He sighed, putting his hands on his hips and surveyed the area, still picking up nothing but blackness, even with his amazing thief vision. _

_Groaning, he stumbled and fell backwards, landing in a sitting position. He was even more embarrassed when high mocking laughter cut through the air._

"_Are you _really _a Phantom Thief? It seems without your precious wing master, you've lost your touch." Krad sneered, melting out of the darkness and into Dark's eyesight fluidly, almost like a robot._

"_No. Phantom Thieves never lose their touch. That was planned!" Dark said, smirking back at Krad. "I wanted to sit dramatically so I chose to make it look as if I had fallen."_

_Krad only raised an eyebrow at Dark's obviously fake claim. "Of course." He said sarcastically, and unfolded his shimmering white wings, ruffling them as if to say; 'I'm so better than you.'_

_Dark snarled and leapt at his counterpart, his brain temporarily shorted out. "This is your fault! Your fault! No girls, no Daisuke, nothing at all!!" Dark managed to pin Krad to the ground, the lighter angel too surprised to counterattack in time._

"_You are the one who sealed us, Mousy. Besides, it is not my wish that our lives be devoid of everything in here. I do not cause the Black Wings to be this way. Just consider yourself lucky to be alive. If you weren't my only source of entertainment, you'd be staining the ground crimson right now."_

_Somehow, Krad managed to be threatening even pinned down, and his words served to clear Dark's head a little. He leapt off, not fazed in the least by their previous awkward position (he had been in that situation with plenty of girls already) and held out a hand to help Krad up. _

_The hunter declined, choosing instead to jump to his feet, gracefully, and glare at Dark. "Sorry about that Kraddie. I'm kinda out of it right now." He sighed. "If only you were more social…"_

"_And what would you wish me to say?" Krad asked, meeting Dark's gaze with his brilliant gold one._

"_I don't know. Something outrageous like…I'm in love with you!" _

I hurriedly snatched the clothes I had selected for myself and put them on. I was looking handsome, as always, in a black collared shirt, some ripped blue jeans and some black and violet checkered slip-on Vans.

Drying my naturally mussed up hair with a towel, I hurried towards the living room where Krad was waiting for me. "K, let's go!" I grabbed the blonde's hand and pulled him out the door, locking it before racing down the street.

Luckily, Daire's house was just a block or two away so if we hurried, Krad and I would be on time. I frowned. I hated rushing unless it was a challenge. Ah, well. Krad was running besides me, the wind blowing his golden hair around him.

I almost lost myself staring at him, his body gliding forward almost effortlessly, as if he was dancing and running had no strain on him what so ever. His eyes were focused forward, looking determined but a little detached.

He must sensed my gaze, or it could have been that I was slowing slightly, because he turned to me, and cocked his head to the side slightly, warm amber orbs regarding me with an air of confusion.

"Is something wrong?" Krad asked, blinking cutely.

"Ugh…" I moaned under my breath. That last part from my most recent "memory" came back to me, as if to mock me.

"_And what would you wish me to say?" _

"_I don't know. Something outrageous like…I'm in love with you!" _

Suddenly, my eyes were drawn to his lips and I felt an urge to press my lips against his and find out what he tasted like. A little voice in the back of my mind chuckled, edging me on. _What's one little kiss? It's not gunna hurt. Besides, it might be fun to see how he reacts…_

No, no, no!" I growled, utterly frustrated with myself. 'I have a girlfriend, I have a girlfriend…' I repeated in my head like a mantra. Krad's eyes widened and he looked hurt, as if he thought I had been shouting at him. Embarrassed, I froze, eyes widening slightly.

"Dark?" Krad looked even more concerned, probably because I had suddenly stopped moving. "Are you alright?" His pale hand drifted to my forehead, but looked extremely puzzled as he removed it: he had found there was no fever. It wasn't that I was sick it was just…

"I-I'm alright…" I stuttered, absolutely cursing my voice for giving me away. "We're almost there…" Krad just tilted his head to the side slightly, and followed when I started running again.

Dai's house was small with a simple homely design but a fairly large backyard. I practically grew up in that house and Daire's mother treated me like a second son. My parents were often away on business trips or the impromptu "adult's only" vacations, so I used to spend up to months at a time at Daire's house sleeping on the bottom bunk of his bed.

So, it was no surprise that when she opened the door, Daire's mom squealed and squeezed me to death. "Dark!!! Oh Dark, you haven't been over in forever!!" she gushed, pulling back so she could examine me. "Have you grown again?"

I laughed. "Hey mom." I could tell Krad was going to ask me about that later… Dai's mom would pester me FOREVER unless I called her that.

Then, she spotted Krad. "OH!" she immediately let go of me and scurried over to Krad, leaving me a little dazed. "Who's this???"

"I'm Krad Hikari. I assume you are Ms. Niwa? (AN: He heard Daire's last name in Dark's phone conversation with Ria.) I am pleased to make your acquaintance." Krad said formerly and her draw dropped.

"Oh! How polite you are! Are you a friend of Dark's?" he opened his mouth as if to answer and I butted in, dragging Dai's mother away from Krad. She had a tendency to pry and I didn't think Krad wanted to tell her that he had lived on the streets or about the strange circumstances of our meeting.

"Yeah! He was my best friend when I was little but his family moved. He just moved back fairly recently!" I made up on the fly and hoped Krad would go along with it.

"How wonderful!" Mrs. Niwa smiled, showing us both in. "Daire and the girls are in the backyard; Santo's running a little behind, he'll be a couple minutes. The poor dear is working on a project."

I nodded and all but dragged Krad inside and pulled him into the backyard, eager to introduce him to my friends. Daire and Rylie were chattering at the plastic table set up outside. Ria was sitting by her twin, looking a little dejected but leaped to her feet immediately when she caught sight of me.

"Dark-san!"

**Krad's POV**

There were three of them, two of them female, clustered around a white plastic table, giggling amongst themselves. One of them, the female with the longest hair jumped up, eyes widening comically as she spotted Dark and squealed "Dark-san!"

She rushed over and I felt sort of awkward as I watched her embrace Dark in a hug. "You made it!"

Dark laughed. "Of course I did Ria. You know I wouldn't miss a party!"

"Dark!" The boy, sporting shocking crimson hair, came running over next, with the shorter haired girl trailing behind him. "Do you feel any better?"

"Tons!" Dark boasted, winking at the one I could now identify as Ria. The red-head blushed while the female I still didn't know rolled her eyes.

"Aren't you going to introduce us to your friend?" the girl scoffed, turning towards me. I met her gaze, curious to know how close she was to Dark.

"'Course!" Dark untangled himself from Ria and walked over to stand by me, placing a hand around my shoulders. I tried not to flinch at the touch. "This is Krad!"

I nodded in response to my name, fixing each of Dark's friends in my gaze for a second.

"Hi!" the red-head chirped. "I'm Daire Niwa and this is Rylie Harada my-"he blushed, shyly, "girlfriend." He motioned to the girl slightly behind him and she stared at me with an intense look on her face.

"And I'm Ria Harada, Dark's girlfriend!" I had forgotten about Ria. I turned to face her and noted the idiotic grin she was wearing. I didn't like this one…she annoyed me somehow.

"Pleased to meet you." I told them and Daire laughed.

"He's the exact opposite of you, Dark!"

"I hope Krad teaches him some things…like not being a pervert." Rylie said, glaring in Dark's direction.

"Hey!!! Stop calling me that!" Dark complained, taking a step forward.

Daire sighed. "Sorry Krad, it's always like this."

I smirked. "I'm used to Dark's idiocy."

"HEY!"

The screen door which led to the backyard slid open and we all turned.

"Hey, Santo! Wait to be the slowpoke!" Dark mocked, but I could barely hear him. There was rushing in my ears and I felt like collapsing.

The boy in front of me was shorter than Dark, although taller than Dark's red-head friend. Cerulean hair and pale skin stood out next to Dark's violet locks and blue eyes hiding behind a pair of glasses regarded me with a cool air. Either this was a dream or Santo had a twin, a twin that I knew only from my dreams.

"Satoshi-sama?" I whispered, unable to hear anything but the pounding of my heart. My head felt like it was going to burst open, memories absolutely flooding it. It felt like a hidden chamber of all these past times had been unsealed and all the pieces I was missing were hitting me all at once.

"_No Krad! Let me handle this!" Satoshi's voice, somewhat strained…_

"_Satoshi-sama is my everything!" Shouting…_

"_Get out of my head!" Glass shattering…_

"Ahh!" I fell to my knees, cradling my head in my hands. I was too proud to admit it, but Dark must have heard me cry out because he was at my side in seconds, violet eyes fearful and concerned.

_Pain…fears…hatred…_

"Krad?" his voice momentarily broke the oncoming tide of memories and I looked up, groaning. My look must have convinced him that something was wrong and he took action.

"Um…you guys….Krad has some migraine issues…we'll be back in a sec!" With that, he snatched me up and carried me into the house, navigating like the place was his, skillfully avoiding being spotted by Mrs. Niwa. He backed his way into a bedroom I assumed was Daire Niwa's, put me on the bed, and locked the door. "What the hell is going on?"

**Dark's POV**

Krad's eyes were wide, and his eyes looked unfocused and wilder-like the Krad from my memories. Honey-colored orbs flicked back and forth almost like he was reading a book at a thousand words a minute. "Memories…"he shivered. "So much…" His face was pale and his normally cool and confident voice was shaking.

"Are they still there?" I asked, sitting on the bed next to him.

He let out a pained groan and shut his eyes, leaning into my shoulder. "It hurts…"

We sat like that for a while; I listened to the chatter I could hear from outside while I waited from Krad to get a hold of himself.

Eventually, he tensed, flinched and then slowly, removed himself from my shoulder. "I apologize for making you wait this long…" Krad had returned.

As much as I regretted asking, I had to know. "Krad, what did you see?"

He flinched again and I felt horrible. "Not all of it…just pieces. I still don't know much about my past but Satoshi-sama was my tamer; he somehow shared my body with me and I could forcefully take over his form when I wished. But I…" he shook his head, forcefully swallowing as if there was a lump in his throat. "I was horrible. I was so cruel to everyone…and there was so many awful things…but I learned something about you too." I leaned closer. "This Daisuke you were talking about…I didn't see the face, but that boy was your tamer. Just as Satoshi-sama was mine."

"Hmm…." Ok, information overload. What was this about tamers?!

"What's a…tamer?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Krad frowned. "I'm not sure…I-I think we needed them for some reason to stay alive…and we could take over their bodies if we wanted to."

"Hmm….Okay….Anything else?"

"I fear this might come as a shock to you but…the reason these memories came to me when they did is because your friend Santo…looks exactly like Satoshi-sama."

"R-really? Could there be a connection?" I gasped. Was Santo somehow involved in all this?

Krad shrugged. "We need to return, or they will come and check on us. I must say, you think on your feet very quickly." Krad grinned.

I laughed and pulled him up from the bed and unlocking the door, we headed outside again. Thankfully, it seemed that Krad could now come into contact with Santo without unlocking any more memories. Would the same thing happen to me when I found my tamer, or would it be different? What was it we had to do to solve this mystery?

**Krad's POV**

As expected, Dark didn't linger at the celebration long. I saw him give his friend, the one that looked like Satoshi-sama, a strange, searching look. Dark turned towards his group, rubbing the back of his neck embarrassedly. "Hey guys. I gotta take Krad to his place. Sorry…"

Ria gave Dark a pitying look while Rylie just stuck up her nose. The red-head, Daire I reminded myself, gave Dark a sad look but agreed. "Hey, come over whenever you can Dark! You can show Krad around my place!"

"Sure thing, Dai!" Dark winked, and then headed back to me, as I was lingering in a corner, too uncomfortable to approach Dark's friends after my "migraine" attack. I nodded to them, for politeness sake, and headed inside the house with Dark at my heels.

"I'm sorry…" I murmured as we closed the back door behind us. "I ruined it for you."

"Doesn't matter." Dark shook his head. "We got some of your memories…and that's good. And I think my…tamer, or whatever, has got to be around too if yours was so close. We just need to figure out more…Maybe I should see if Santo has any of those dreams?"

Krad shook his head. "He glared at me, but he didn't seem to recognize my face. If he is having the dreams, he probably would have attacked me or at least exchange words with me."

Dark sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You're right…Gods, this is so frustrating!"

"What's frustrating?" The Niwa woman had returned and she was leaned towards us as If listening to an interesting piece of gossip. Dark jumped; I just frowned.

"Hey Mom, we have to leave now."

"WHAT?" The red-head's mother looked shocked as if she couldn't understand the words coming out of Dark's mouth. "But you and your friend just got here!"

"I know but Krad's not feeling well so I'm going to take him home."

"Oh...but you could stay with us Dark!" She flicked her head towards me and I had to fight to hold my ground. This woman was frightening. "I'll take good care of your special friend here!"

Dark started to say something, looking a little less convinced, but I answered first. "Perhaps another night. I need to return home to retrieve some medication. I have migraines you see, but I will be sure to drop by again."

I tried to push Dark towards the front door and he started forward. "Err…yeah…sorry Mom."

The woman attacked me; throwing her arms around me and squealing. I tried to shove her off, but her grip was too strong and I didn't want to be rude to Dark's "mother".

"Ooh, you are so CUTE!" she squeaked, squeezing me even tighter. "Dark, you are taking this young man over here with you the next time you come!"

"Sure." Dark said happily but I saw his sidelong apologetic glance my way. She released me and straightening my clothes, I hurried after Dark and we stepped outside.

"Thank you Ms. Niwa. It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance." I told her and shivered when she made a move as if to squeeze me again. Luckily, Dark cut her off this time with a hug of his own and quickly back peddled before she could trap him.

"Take care you too! Don't get into any mischief!" she called after us, and I gave Dark a strange look.

"_This_ is the woman who raised you?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "No wonder you turned out like this! She probably squeezed you too hard as a baby!"

"Hey!" Dark pouted giving me a weak punch on the arm. "Nah, Emiko just took care of me when my parents were away some times, and that was when I was older…"

"I see…" I shivered, thinking back on how I had been raised. I suddenly wished I had been raised by the Niwas.

"Hey Krad, you alright?" Dark asked, lifting my chin, so, I assumed, he could see my face. "You're looking kind of pale."

"Fine." I snapped and picked up my pace. It was silent for a long time.

"Hey Krad…" Dark asked, and I looked up, meeting his brilliant gaze.

"Hmm…?"

"You're happy, right? Hanging out with me? I mean, I know it's all because of those dreams that we met…but, I feel like we've known each other for a long time…and I want to be your… friend…" Dark looked awkward, his confidence seemed to have abandoned him.

I shook my head. "You are an idiot."

"Huh?!" Dark gave me a perplexed look and I laughed softly. He grinned when he caught me laughing. "Hey, your laugh is cute. Why don't you use it more often?"

I sighed. "I haven't had much reason to be happy Dark…This whole adventure, and you, have given some purpose to my life. I…appreciate that."

Dark waggled an eyebrow. "So, does that mean we're friends?"

"…Friends…" I echoed, testing the word, rolling it of my tongue. Somehow, it didn't seem to fit completely, but I shrugged it off. Dark must have taken my response as a yes because he grinned at me, and I couldn't help but smile back.

**Dark's POV**

When we got home, Krad immediately crashed on the couch, looking utterly exhausted. I laughed and he glared at me with half-lidded eyes. "Shut up, Dark." My grin widened and I plopped down beside him.

As I sat down, that damn feeling returned. The feeling that I wanted to kiss him. _ Come on, you kissed plenty of girls before…_The voice in my head urged me on.

And this time, Krad's cute tired gaze was too much. I couldn't help it; I leaned closer and connected our lips. It wasn't as if we were making out or anything. I pulled away after a short time, leaving the kiss chaste.

Even so, when I leaned back, Krad's entire face was pink, his eyes widened comically. Hell, I was a pretty amazing kisser! His mouth was moving as if he was trying to say something, but nothing came out, making him look like a fish out of water.

I couldn't help it; I laughed. "You're so cute…"_Shit! Didn't mean to say that…_

Ifit was possible, Krad's face became even darker in color."What?" his tone was slightly higher than before and I had to force myself not to kiss him again. _Ah, damn! _

_What do I say now?_ Buying time, I brushed a strand of violet hair from my eyes. "Er…I-"

"Never mind." Krad snapped and leaped to his feet, quietly apologizing and raced out of the room.

I let me head fall into my hands. "God damn it!" What had I done? I had just kissed Krad, K-R-A-D, my MALE friend that I barely knew! To top it off, I already had a girlfriend and we had been going steady for months. I had always been into girls, so why now?

I gasped. Did Krad hate me now? What if he refused to speak with me after this? How would we ever get to the bottom of those dreams? And, did I really want to go through with this. After all, I had a girlfriend and I wasn't even really sure I liked Krad. It was just an urge and that strange voice inside my head….

I let me head fall into my hands. "God damn it!"

AN: So, how'd I do? I added a little more memories and some romance in there for you guys…and for me, 'cause I was having a hard time keeping it back. I'm sure you know the feeling. It's hard! I just want Dark to go crazy on Krad…but we aren't there yet!!! *sigh* Once, again I apologize for the lateness. School sucks! Please let me know what you thought by REVIEWING!


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Ok, I'm sure you all are ready to kill me at this point. I apologize, especially because I totally left you hanging! My little bit of romance must have left you wondering, right? *sighs* So sorry you guys, believe me I had missed writing as much as you have (hopefully) missed reading it.

For some reason, this chapter gave me some trouble. At first, I had decided that they were just going to make up and sort of go back to 'friends' for a while….but I found that was too boring and didn't really go with the suspense. That's part of the reason for this HUGE delay, so I'm hoping you will enjoy it!

And so, without further ado…..THE NEXT CHAPTER!!!!!!

Chapter 5:

**Krad's POV**

I was worn out. Seeing those horrifying things and finally unraveling a piece of this puzzle was tiring. As soon as Dark unlocked the door, I sped to the couch and collapsed, utterly spent. Dark laughed, as if to mock my exhaustion and I glared back at him, abet with a tad less of my usual luster. "Shut up, Dark." Dark's cat-like grin just seemed to grow, and -of course- he found it necessary to sit down beside me.

It was strange; it seemed like I had known him forever, like he was my best friend. And I barely knew him at all. And he didn't know anything about me. Not about my past and certainly not about the future. We had absolutely no idea what was going to happen next.

I sighed softly, feeling drained. And then-it happened. For a second, Dark's eyes seemed to become distant, as if he was having a memory; and a split-second later, he was close. Way, way, way too close!

And then, his lips, warm against my colder ones and I must have gasped in shock. The feeling was electrifying. His eyes fluttered closed as if he had nothing better to do at all then to just sit here and kiss me. And then, too soon, or too slowly, I couldn't remember, he pulled away, and I was left feeling shocked, flabbergasted, and utterly empty. As if, by breaking away, he had taken a vital organ of mine with him. '…Strange…'

I could tell I was blushing. I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks. And Dark, with his ever confident look just seemed to make me more flustered. I wanted to hit him for making me feel this way, but then, I knew that would make him grin even wider.

I tried to tell him something, anything. A witty remark, an angry 'What the hell was that?' just a 'What the hell?' would have sufficed. But the words died on my tongue, and my brain, fried as it was, could only think up 'Wow…' and I would never let that escape my mouth.

And then, he was laughing. Just as I knew he would. "You're so cute…" I froze for a second. Did he really just say…Now was a good time for a sarcastic and shocked 'What?!'

And this time, it actually came out."What?" Except, the tone wasn't what I had envisioned. It was more the kind of breathless sound that people like me just did not make. 'Ugh…Maybe it was better just staying silent….'

Dark, brushed a strand of hair from his face, forcing me to look into those strange but entrancing eyes. "Er…I-"

"Never mind." I snapped and jumped up. Finally, it sounded like me again. My head seemed to be clearing. Still, something came over me, and as I ran out of the room, I whispered an apology under my breath, although I doubt he could hear it.

Too late, I realized I had run the wrong way. I should have gone out the front door, but instead I had headed for Dark's room. I couldn't escape him here. Surveying my options made it clear that besides making a break for it out the front door, I would have to hide myself or he was bound to find me before I could come to terms with what had just occurred.

I felt like a child as I walked to Dark's bathroom, locked the door and climbed into the shower. I closed the glass door behind me, and sank to the floor, not caring about dirtying my new clothes in the least. I sat, gripping my knees and trying not to remember all the times I had found myself in this position.

_A pounding on the door, a shivering golden haired child crouched in the corner of his room, terrified. "Krad! KRAD!"_

I shivered, and turned my mind to the task at hand. Figure out what had just occurred and find my reaction to what had just happened.

"Dark kissed me…" I murmured, pressing my fingers to my lips. The strangest thing was, I wasn't angry. I wasn't scared. I had been kissed before of course, but I had never been kissed like _that. That _was something I had never experienced before. And this aggravated me. I wasn't sure what to call it, the emotion I felt when his lips pressed against mine.

"Krad?" Dark's voice sounded worried, concerned. "Krad, are you okay? I'm sorry if I…." His voice trailed off, and then I heard a series of clicks. Two seconds later, and the door I had previously locked, opened. Dark dropped a piece of metal, I couldn't tell what it was from behind the glass but I assumed he had used it to unlock the door. He strode forward and pulled open the shower door.

_The door opened, as the boy knew it would. Nothing could keep _him _out. The child squeaked in fear and hugged himself as the first blow landed, striking him across the head…_

I cringed, expecting mockery. It was, after all, something a child would do. Run to the shower and curl up in a ball. Or perhaps, he was here to yell at me. To demand my reasons for running away and how I felt about him. For some reason, the second thought seemed to scare me more.

"Oh Krad…." But, no mocking laughter or rage-filled tones echoed through the room. Instead, he offered me a hand and a smile. Not his confident one, but a shyer, more sincere look. I huffed and got to my feet, ignoring the outstretched appendage.

"Want to explain?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

He flushed and seeing him, so unsure and uncertain made me feel that emotion again. The one I felt when he had…kissed me.

"Well…I…" He sighed. "I can't explain. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that."

"It doesn't matter." I told him while in my head I was screaming 'It does matter. I want you to do that again, so I can find out what that feeling is…'

"I…won't talk about it again." Dark looked almost sad and then, he was back to his cheerful self. "So, what next?!" But somehow, I could tell something was off.

**Dark's POV**

"_It doesn't matter."_…The words burned. I could tell he wasn't completely fooled by the fake cheerfulness and the way I just seemed to brush off what had happened, but he didn't comment and for that, I was grateful.

"I believe we should follow our latest lead. Discover the connection between your friend and Satoshi-sama."

"Good idea! Okay, commander, what do we do first?" He rolled his eyes at me, but at the same time he could tell I wasn't entirely back to normal, I could see that the familiar gesture was half-hearted.

_What had I done? Could he ever forgive me?_ I shook my head, unable to tell if the words in my head were my thoughts or my dream 'memories'. I rubbed my head. I had totally missed his response. I only heard the sarcastic tone to his voice and later, the word 'sleep'.

"So, do you want to sleep with me tonight?" The words escaped before I could process them. Krad's eyes seemed to widen slightly. "Uh…Never mind. I'll go…set up a sleeping bag or something." I raced out of the room and banged my head against my bedroom wall in frustration. Why was it I got so stupid around him?

Around every girl I had every dated, I was suave and cool, playing them into my hands easily. So why now, when I had found a person that I was…interested in, was it so hard for me???!! 'The world is not fair…' I sighed, internally.

"What's taking so long, Dark? Do you need help or something?" Krad's voice sound impatient, and when I looked up he was standing in the doorway. "You haven't even gotten it out yet!" He snorted.

I shrugged. "Guess I'm a little tired…." I muttered and dragged it out from the closet, spreading it on the floor along with an extra pillow. "Y-You can take the bed tonight. I'll sleep on the floor."

Krad gave me a searching look, as if he was trying to discover my reasoning just by staring at me. His golden gaze was piercing and somehow, I could tell he could see them. All the emotions I hid carefully behind my mask.

"Dark, this needs to stop." Krad snarled, and damn, was he pissed.

"W-What?!" There was no use pretending to be innocent but I was so shocked by his ferocity I couldn't help it.

He glared at me, and even though we were the same height, he seemed like he was gazing down at me. "You know perfectly well what I am talking about, Dark Mousy. I want answers and I want them now." This Krad was frightening; he seemed to glow with rage and power, much like the Krad I saw in my dreams.

"I-I'm sorry…"

"Sorry isn't good enough!" was snapped back, golden hair swishing as he took a step towards me. "I want an explanation. Reasoning."

"Uh…Can we not talk about this?!"

"Damn it Dark!" Krad snarled, and I flinched not only because of the tone but also the fact that Krad had swore. Krad _never_ swore. That meant he was _really_ mad. As if to compliment my thinking, Krad swept out of the room and I heard the front door open and close ominously.

I cursed silently and ran after him.

**Krad's POV**

All I wanted was a straight answer. I couldn't be kissed and not know. Was it just looks again or high standing-of course, Dark wouldn't know about that- maybe innocence, or was it…because he actually liked me?

It was foolish to hope and I knew it but this time around, the hope was stronger than I'd ever felt and I couldn't help pleading with any higher-power up there that Dark truly cared about me. Of course, refusing to give me a straight answer wasn't a good sign.

And, as usual, I was doing the cowardly thing; running away. I was sprinting, so I knew Dark couldn't possibly catch up to me. No one could catch me at this pace. Even still, in the back of my mind, I kept hoping I hear him running after me and calling my name. But soon, I heard no sound behind me at all.

I didn't realize I was crying until a sob suddenly escaped my throat. I couldn't breathe so I fell to my knees and leaned against a brick wall. "This was a mistake. I never should have gone with Dark…" I mumbled to myself.

I dozed behind a dumpster for a short while, how long I wasn't sure. But when I woke, the tears were dried on my cheeks and the light had completely faded from the skies. I shivered, having forgotten to bring a jacket with me.

I took in my surroundings and then, started to run again. I let my feet carry me and before long I had wandered into a district of the shadier part of town. I was careful to avoid drunks and speeding cars while keeping myself firmly hidden in the shadows.

It seemed however, that my precautions were in vain. "Hey, kitten! Where you going this time of night, eh?" A gruff voice behind me and the overwhelming scent of alcohol and cigarettes. I almost hurled.

"I'm going to my father's place." I replied. "Excuse me." I started to walk away at a quick but even pace but the oaf wouldn't just leave me alone.

"I'll walk you home kitten. It isn't safe around here at this time of night." A chuckle. "Come with me."

"No thank you. I'm in a hurry." I bit back and increased my pace some, but this time, I was pulled backwards. The loser had grabbed hold of my pony tail. Feeling threatened and not about to let him get away with putting his greasy sausages in my hair, I snapped my leg upwards, striking him in the face.

He stumbled backwards, clutching his now bleeding nose. "'What the 'ell?!"

Unfortunately for me, it seemed the thugs loitering by the near-by store were his friends. They came staggering over while the injured one shouted curses.

"We don't take kindly to that sort of thing." One of them growled, pacing towards me.

I swore internally. There were too many of them for me to take alone. I would have to run for it. But as soon as the thought passed through my brain, I found others had surrounded me from behind. I was trapped.

**Dark's POV**

Krad was fast. I tried to keep up, but it was near impossible. Damn, he could move! As soon as I lost sight of him, I stopped, feeling utterly defeated. What was I supposed to do now?

The only thing I could think of was to try to access my memories. I had no idea how that would help me but I tried anyways.

_Dark flew through the air, circling playfully before dipping towards the museum. He could already tell Krad was inside. He could feel the hunter over the small link they shared. The demon's magical aura was pulsing with rage, as usual, and Dark could tell he was cooking up another of his schemes but the link was too thin for him to tell what it was. _

_A pity really._

I shook my head, violet locks splaying across my face, trying to clear the vivid scenery from my head. But, that little memory had given me all I needed to know. If I could just…"link" with Krad, I would be able to trace him. I didn't know if I could still do it but I was willing to give it a shot.

In the memories searching for and establishing links had always been without thought, second nature, but I had no idea what to do. Shrugging and hoping it would be sort of like the cartoons on television, I closed my eyes and drew a picture of Krad in my head. I saw him in the clothes he was wearing and I tried to make every detail perfect. 'Krad…'

I leaped backwards in surprise when I felt a pulsing sensation and I could feel a connection between us. I grasped onto it and felt along it, trying to find out where Krad was. Thankfully, this link was a lot more open than the ones from the dreams -always were, so I was able to identify a street and then-ha!-a building. Safeway, in the crummy side of town. I knew where that was. Even as I set off, I was running faster than I had been. Something about Krad's aura was off…as if he was…_frightened_!

I picked up the pace, cursing. What the hell had Krad gotten himself into?!

**Krad's POV**

I bit my lip, thinking. "Please, I really need to get to my father's house!" I half begged, half growled.

"Not so fast, kitten. We want to have some fun first!" I shifted, trying to watch all of them but quickly finding it impossible. It seemed my only choice was to fight and I only hoped I didn't get a serious injury.

I threw myself at the ringleader, one of the meatiest of the men and he grinned, lunging out to punch me. I sidestepped and returned a strike. I wished I had a weapon, but as I was without one, I stuck with parries and blows. I decided the safest way to go would be to head for the shop on the corner, "Safeway". Hopefully, someone in there could help me or at least I could use some of their merchandise as makeshift firearms.

I was clawing past the leader, but two others were on top of me, dragging me down. I hissed as I was shoved to the asphalt, the air forced from my lungs. Thinking quickly, I chopped at my attackers and squeezed from under them, retreating backwards.

"Not so fast!" Came a snarl and arms had encircled me from behind, the meaty appendages choking me further. I shoved against the body behind me and tore free but by this time, four others had joined my attacker and I hadn't even gotten a foot closer to my destination. Damn it.

Snarling, I kicked one hard in the stomach and leapt over him while he bent to clutch is wound. I started running for the store, hearing them stomp after me. A bell inside the shop rang, announcing my arrival but it seemed there was no one inside. Either they had fallen asleep in the back or they had left the shop open and unattended.

Either way, I knew I had no help from that front. I darted behind shelves of candy and backed against the freezers. The milk was heavy but throw able, so I reached inside and grabbed some. I realized now that going inside had been a mistake. The shop was small and square and there wasn't much room to maneuver. They could easily trap me into a corner and block all exits.

It was too late to escape though, because a series of "dings" and the stomping of feet alerted me to the gang's entrance. I hefted the milk higher, keeping my breathing soft and even and waiting for the first of them to spot me.

But then, there was another ding. _A straggler? _But that possibility was soon ruled out when one of the men growled "Who 'r you? Git out!"

"What? I can't purchase a few groceries for my old sick granny?!" Oh god. I knew that voice. What the hell was Dark doing here? He was going to get himself killed! And more importantly, how the hell had he found me?!

"You better be careful kid. Leave while you can. We're on the hunt."

Any sensible teenager would have apologized and run away, but with Dark, being sensible was too much to ask. "Now that's rude! I had just as much right to hunt for food as you do! This is a public store, you know!"

A scuffle and I felt sure Dark was done for. Damn that idiot. I would have to help him. I carefully made my way to the front of the store where I could see the men, backs all turned to me surrounding Dark. The hairiest of the men had Dark in a headlock and the violet-eyed boy was struggling in his grip. I could see blood dribbling from Dark's mouth. Oh crap, that was not good.

I shook my head in disbelief at my rash action as I launched the container of milk at one of the men. As they all turned towards me, I spotted Dark biting down hard on his captor's arm and leaping free, eyes alit at spotting me.

"Run Dark!" I screamed, kicking at a crotch and punching a chest. I was quickly becoming overwhelmed, and one of the men landed a blow to my face, that I knew would bruise. Another shoved me against a rack where a pair of scissors cut a large hole in the back of my shirt and created a long cut across my back.

I howled, kicking a man out of my way and searching frantically for Dark. Had he listened to me and fled? No, he was still there, and when I caught his gaze, he grinned.

"Krad!" His voice sounded happy. But, he didn't listen to my advice. Of course. Instead, he picked up the half-crushed container of milk and threw it at the men again, striking a head and spilling milk everywhere. "Come on!" He crowed and strode over to me, snatched my hand and darted from the store.

We didn't stop running until we reached Dark house, and even then, we didn't speak, just panted and wiped sweat, blood, and milk from our bodies.

"Thanks…" I mumbled. "but you didn't have to come."

"What the hell are you talking about? They would have clobbered you. Plus, you were scared as hell. Freaked me out a lot!"  
I cocked my head and he explained. "I established a link with you. That's how I knew where you were and I could also tell you were scared through that."

"I see…" I replied, reaching out to wipe the blood from his lips with the pad of my thumb.

"Mmm…" I pulled away, shocked. His eyes blinked open. "Sorry…Oh, and I'm sorry for….before. I-It was a reaction. Something was telling me too…I thought you'd think I was crazy so I didn't want to tell you."

"Huh." I replied and stepped inside. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm getting the first-aid kit."

AN: Not a very creative ending but hey, I finished a chapter~! And it's nice and long too! Thanks so much for being patient and I hope you prefer Dark and Krad getting a little scratched up over a quick fix. This will come up again but next chapter, I'm going to have some more plot and some lovely flashbacks! Until next time!

Please REVIEW!!!! It would make me very happy!!


	6. Chapter 6

_Dark landed gracefully on the roof of the museum, listening calmly and smugly to the shouts of the police force below him and the excited cry of "There he is! The infamous thief Dark Mousy has just appeared on the museum's roof!" by a female reporter._

_Dark smirked. 'Infamous…I like the sound of that.' He slipped inside and hurried over to his prize of the night. It was a simple piece and Dark had long forgotten its long and complicated name, but Emiko said the thing was highly destructive and to be very careful._

_The item inside of the glass case was a small golden-bronze ring. 'Not even a jewel or anything!' Dark complained. The face of the ring was completely bare except for a simple Celtic design. He released the ring from its case and began the sealing almost at once. _

_Usually, Dark would have escaped the museum first or at least made sure no one was around but the guards and Krad hadn't shown up yet, and he wasn't planning on waiting for them to attack him. Besides, Daisuke was asleep in the back of his mind so he had no nagging voice pleading with him to leave. He frowned, narrowing his amethyst eyes in concentration. 'This is tough. Emiko was right; this thing packs a punch!'_

_Amongst the shadows, his counterpart smirked. Really, this was just too easy. Dark had never been good at sensing energy but this was just pathetic. Dark was concentrating so much on sealing the Hikari work he still had yet to feel Krad's presence. 'Well, it is a powerful work.' Krad mused. 'Dark is probably too weak to handle it correctly.' _

_As if to complement his thinking, Dark let out a curse and the next second, Krad had to retreat farther to avoid the energy emitting from the creature before him. _

_It was a large dog, looking similar in structure and size to a German shepherd, the same color of the golden-tinted metal the ring had been carved from. Its eyes were gleaming red, and Krad thought he saw Dark tremble a little at the sight of it. _

_The dog snarled, glaring at Dark through blood red eyes. _

_Dark cursed again. How was he supposed to know the thing would go haywire on him and decide to come out before he had finished sealing? Now he had to start all over again! But that wasn't the least of his problems. The dog looked like it weighed a lot and one look at those red eyes and glistening white teeth gave him the feeling that he was not going to come out of this unharmed. "Be a nice puppy…" Dark half-pleaded to the beast, taking a step back. "We can't have you hurting the people. Come on now. Uh….sit! Sit, boy!"_

_The dog wasn't taking too kindly to Dark's words and snarling, it lunged for him, almost managing to snag the thief before he darted away. Krad's lips turned upward in amusement. _

_But after two hours of observing the fight and seeing Dark getting bloodied and bruised, it suddenly wasn't funny anymore. Dark must have gained three broken ribs and at least a sprained wrist and blood had stained his clothes. The greatest damage though-could be internal- Krad could see blood dripping from the corner of the thief's mouth and it was impossible to tell what might have caused the bleeding. It was a wonder the police hadn't found him, but, Krad reminded himself, the incompetent buffoons couldn't be counted on for anything. They probably believed the thief had already left or never went inside in the first place; no doubt Satoshi-sama had switched out this room's security tape beforehand allowing Krad freedom to pursue Dark. _

_His tamer was currently curled in the back of his mind, asleep. As he had been studying for a Latin test he was taking to 'sharpen up his skills outside of school' for five hours, Krad didn't blame the human child. Satoshi-sama had agreed that this time, Krad was free to pursue the thief himself. This left the white-winged hunter in a terrible predicament. _

_If he helped the thief now, Satoshi-sama would not witness it. He couldn't have the dog destroying the neighboring Hikari works and it wouldn't do to have to fight the beast after it was finished with Mousy. And…there was a lingering feeling that he had to save Dark, an instinct almost, accompanied with a strange warm feeling in his chest which was getting harder and harder to ignore._

_Dark's body clattered across the tiles and crumpled like a rag doll. Krad's decision was made for him. He charged up an energy ball and fired it at the artwork just as the dog was going to leap on the still motionless Dark. The dog whirled turning pointy teeth and glittering red eyes on the blond demon. _

**Krad's POV**

I awoke feeling disoriented and kept waiting to feel warm breath behind me or see the dog's glittering ruby colored eyes. Had that been a memory from my past life or just a dream? It certainly hadn't seemed like something the "Krad with white wings" would do.

I sighed and started to get out of bed, failing to notice Dark until his face was inches from my own. "Hey, are you alright?"

"Gah!" I back peddled, kicking him in the stomach and raising my hands in defense by sheer instinct. My gaze cleared and I realized my error. "Ah! Dark! I-I apologize." I said, leaping out of bed to help Dark up. "It was a…reaction. Anyways, why did you inquire about my condition? As you can see, I am perfectly fine."

Dark shrugged. "You were panting and making noise in your sleep."

"Ah. A memory or a figment of my imagination. I was unable to discern which."

Dark nodded but didn't question like I thought he would. Instead, he winced and I saw his hands shift to where I had kicked him.

My eyes widened. I had forgotten about our injuries. As I recalled Dark hadn't been beaten up too badly, but then, I remembered the blood that had trickled from his lips when he was being strangled…

"Are you hurt?" I asked, carefully feeling his stomach with my hands for injury.

"Nah. Just sore, I guess." Dark mumbled, but a second wince was not lost on me. How hard had I kicked him? I didn't recall putting _that_ much force into it, but then, I was half-asleep at the time…

"I'm sorry." I glanced downwards, feeling utterly stupid for not recalling our injuries or even realizing I had been attacking Dark.

The thief-the nickname seemed to fit so well I didn't bother pondering its meaning anymore-grinned. "You said that already. You must be hungry."

I frowned. "I am perfectly fine skipping breakfast. Normally, I only have one meal a day anyways…"

Dark's eyes widened. "No way! You didn't tell me that!! Or maybe you did and I forgot….but anyways, you gotta eat some food or you'll be a twig forever!"

"Excuse me?!" I snapped, a bit unnerved by his childish behavior. Then again, I reasoned, this _was_ Dark…

Dark's grin widened and pulled me into the kitchen where he proceeded to make so many Eggo's Waffles it was impossible to finish them.

**Dark's POV**

After Krad and I finished eating-I had to eat half of his portion because he claimed he was full! Ha! There is no such thing as full in my books!-I let him use my computer to try and find some information about our dreams. I usually am a total fan of a computer, and seeing Krad with that cute "I'm concentrating really hard look" was amazing but the utter boringness of the text got to me, so I went downstairs to see if I had anything on Santo. Who knew the creep was actually Krad's tamer…thing? Or something like that.

As soon as I made it downstairs though, I heard Krad shout my name and I hurried upstairs. Apparently, he had discovered something. "Yeah?"

Krad's eyes were bright with discovery and I had to bite my lip to keep myself from kissing him or saying something really sappy like "You're adorable…"

"Look at this Dark." He gestured to the screen. "Apparently, there is very little information on the creation of this city and there are no approximations on how old the city really is."

"So?" I tilted my head to the side in confusion and he gave me a half-hearted glare.

"_Also,_ I looked up the school records on you. You are not a freshman, correct?"

"Yeah? So? What does this have to do with anything?"

Krad sighed in annoyance. "Dark, they have no records of you ever _being _a freshman. I also tried all the high schools and middle schools in the area because you grew up here-correct?"

I nodded. "Well, they have no records of an alumni named Dark Mousy either." Krad finished, meeting my gaze.

"What the hell? But I remember going to school and everything."

"Just as I remember life before meeting you. However, there is no evidence that ever happened either."  
"What? What do you mean? You don't have a home and you don't go to school so obviously there wouldn't be a record of you…"

"It wasn't always like that Dark." I frowned. Krad looked like he was in pain, and his eyes were distant, not quite as much as they were when he was having one of his little dreams but still like he was recalling something. "Nothing in the old newspapers, or anything. It was as if _he _never existed at all…"

"Uh Krad?" I waved a hand in front of his face. "What are you talking about?"

"My father."

**Krad's POV**

"Your dad?" Dark asked, looking generously interested.

I nodded. "He was a bastard." I thought I saw Dark flinch and almost laughed. "He beat me and my mother, and he ended up killing my mother because he beat her too hard." I frowned. "He was very rich but he would spend most of his money on alcohol so he was often drunk. I didn't live on the streets because I was born there-no, I ran away."

_A terrible scream. 'What was that sound? Mom? Oh no! Did she forget to lock her door….I have to help her!' A seven-year old Krad stumbled down the stairs, brushing past a terrified looking maid. He hurried down another flight in time to see his father strike his mother hard. _

"_Mom!" Krad cried, running towards her. _

"_No Krad! You stay in your room. I'll be fine!" But it was too late. The harsh looking man looked up and drunkenly swore. _

"_Not yooou again. How man' 'imes do I 'ave to teach yooou?" Krad's father slurred, eyes darkened with drunkenness. _

_Krad gasped, taking a step back. "I-I'm sorry!" he whimpered, practically falling backwards in his haste to escape his father. _

"_Sooory? Sooory?" The man drunkenly mocked, running a hand through his golden hair as if unaware of his own arm's actions. His other hand was raised as if to smash the bottle he was currently holding on Krad's head._

"_Please stop!" Krad's mother had latched onto her husband's leg, as if clutching a lifeline. Her golden eyes were twisted with pain, helplessness, and fear. "Please don't hurt Krad!"_

"_Shut 'ap!" A snarl and then the sound of shattering glass as the bottle hit its new target. _

"_Mom!" Krad howled, as his mother let out a high-pitched wail of pain. "Stop it Dad! You're hurting her!"_

_His father's only response was a laugh. _

_Shaking with fury, the boy launched himself onto his father, punching his back with all his might over and over. "Stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it!!!" He howled but his attempted attack only enraged the man further._

_A cry of fury was the only warning he got before his father whirled and struck him, causing him to fly backwards and have the edge of a glass coffee table dig into his back. Krad gave a cry of pain but didn't move, currently too dizzy to attempt standing. _

_He watched his father continue to beat his mother as if in a dream, his head buzzing and the pain in his back dulled slightly. He vaguely wondered what a white feather was doing in the house among his blood. Shouldn't the maids have seen it on the coffee table?_

_Regaining some of his consciousness, Krad pushed himself away from the table, and hissed in pain as he pulled free. Blood was everywhere. Staining his pale skin, his white clothes and the white tile beneath him._

_But there was even more blood ahead of him. All he could see was his mother, her golden eyes frozen in fear and pain, her face, going from red to pale as a corpse, as his father strangled her to death and preceded to stab her over and over with the shards of his bottle. _

"_MOM!" And then Krad was on his feet, too weak to fight now but too horror-stricken and shocked to stay put. He staggered away from his father and ran to his room. He locked the door, heart racing and started packing a bag. _

_He had tried running away before, but he had always been caught. But this time, Krad planned to leap out the window instead of using the front door. (An: I couldn't resist. Hey! He's a seven years old, traumatized Kraddie. Cut me some slack here!)_

_But then, a drunken snarl and the sharp yanking of the door-knob. Krad let out a squeak of fear and finished packing hurriedly. Then, ignoring the pain in his back, he opened the window and climbed outside. Luckily, his mother loved trees and had planted tons all around the mansion so it was easy enough for him to grab a thick branch close to his window, climb down, and start sprinting._

_He felt bad for leaving his mother behind, because obviously she wasn't, no, couldn't be dead, but he was sure one of the maids would help her like usual. Once his father calmed down, they would help her, but they never stepped in when his dad was hurting her out of fear. But his mommy didn't mind. She said she no one else should pay for her mistake, but Krad could never discover what her mistake had been. But, Krad usually got involved. Even still, this was the worst ever!_

'_This is sure to be in the paper.' He decided, spotting an abandoned newspaper hanging out of the trash can on his way past. Any gossip or scandal about the richest family in the area was worth its weight in gold. He saw his father's face in newspapers very often._

_His backpack was very heavy, he noticed. He had only had time to pack a few things but he had shoved a lot of food inside. Maybe he should get rid of some? No, he was sure to need it later, because he had forgotten to bring any money. _

_But, he reasoned, once he told everyone he was the only son of the head of _Hikari Corps_ he was sure they would understand. So, he unzipped his pack and poured all the food into the street and kept running, determined not to be caught._

**Dark's POV**

I gaped, feeling shocked. 'And I thought my life sucked…'

"You really went through all that?" Krad nodded and I felt the urge to pull him close and comfort him. "I-I'm so sorry!"

Krad snorted. "Dark, you have nothing to apologize about. I'm sure you were curious about my family and how I ended up…migrating from place to place instead of living in a house..."

I bit my lip, struggling not to pull him to my chest and kiss him. 'Argh…damn it….he doesn't like that sort of thing!'

"What?!" Krad raised an eyebrow, giving me a strange look.

I clapped a hand over my mouth. Had I said that out loud?! "Crap…uh…."

Krad rolled his eyes. "So, did you find anything?"

I shrugged. "Uh….not really…"

Golden hair swished as Krad got to his feet. "Does this town have a museum?"

"A museum? Yah, sure. It's one of those 'towns history plus cool art pieces we bought from someone' museums. Why?"

"We're going there. I want more information about this town. And there's bound to be some in that museum."

I shrugged and followed him as he tugged on a white jacket and opened the door. "Can you take me there?"

I grinned. "Sure thing!"

**Krad's POV**

"Dark!" I hissed, as the thief jokingly mimicked one of the artworks. It appeared to be one of a heroic figure, and the man was raising his sword above his head, roaring his triumph. Really, the thief just looked utterly stupid trying to mimic it. _So why is my heart beating so fast?_

Dark made a face and tugged me further inside. "Hey! I spent _my_ food money to get in here. At least let me have some fun!"

I rolled my eyes, not even bothering to point out the exciting nature of the knowledge surrounding us. We had already spoken to the museum staff. They became very flustered when ever Dark or I mentioned the establishment of the town and refused to tell us quite how old it was.

The artifacts and artwork were fascinating but this puzzle was troubling me. And then, there was Dark.

Despite him being his goofy self, I didn't miss the pained looks he made once and a while. Even just walking seemed to set it off, and once, although I decided not to inform him, I found a bloody black feather sitting at the place where he had been standing a second before.

When I asked him about it, he blew it off, but something was defiantly wrong.

"Dark!" I called, suddenly noticing the absence of the violet-haired boy from my range of vision. "Where'd you go?"

I hurried forward, thinking the worst, but soon I spotted him, bending over a glass case. Frowning, I headed to his side, punching his arm lightly. "Why did you find it necessary to leave me behind Dark?!" I asked, anger fueled by my earlier fear that something had happened to him.

But the amethyst eyes never even blinked. Growling, I hit him a little harder, with again, no response. Unnerved, I looked at the object he was so intently gazing at-and took a step back.

It was a feather- the same shape, size, and color as the one who had fallen from his shirt. I gasped, feeling my eyes widen with horror. Just then, Dark had turned around to face me. At first, I was relieved, but when I scolded him for ignoring me, he didn't respond. His violet eyes were absent and empty and when dark wings suddenly ripped through his shirt, I had a feeling I was in _big _trouble.


	7. Chapter 7

**Krad's POV**

Dark's eyes were empty; lifeless and when he spoke his voice made shivers run down my spine. It was so similar to his voice, but then I knew it could not possibly be the Dark I knew.

"Krad." A statement, none of his usual fire at all, except the smirk that spread across the thief's face. "What a coincidence seeing you here!"

"Dark…?" I shifted closer, attempting to discern if the winged-figure in front of me really was Dark.

A laugh. "_Kraddie, you're so cute tonight! And where is your little robe-thingy tonight, huh?"_

I frowned. This obviously was not the Dark I knew. My eyes widened, was it possible this Dark was the one I had seen in my 'memories'? I was almost afraid to speak, unsure of what to say, what to ask.

"Cat got your tongue Krad? Or are you formulating another plan to catch me, that is sadly, destined to fail?"

I bit my lip. "I'm not entirely sure how to phrase this, but I am not the Krad you know. I don't have wings and I certainly don't have any interest in catching you."

His smirk widened. "Don't play naïve with me Krad. It doesn't work." With that, the other Dark spread his wings and took to the air. He stuck his tongue out. "What's wrong Krad? Forget how to fly? Come and get me!"

I tried to stay calm, knowing that the other Krad would have gotten angry at Dark and pursued him by now. But this just seemed to irritate the thief further and he swooped down, shoving me sideways into one of the glass cases.

I hissed in pain, but was thankful the case hadn't shattered. My side ached and I had a feeling it was bleeding but I ignored it, my brain working over time. Obviously this wasn't working. Whether I acted like the Krad this Dark knew or not, he was still attacking me. I needed to come up with a better plan.

I dodged to the side, narrowly missing a punch that could have broken my nose. I ran to the case that Dark had been standing by. Maybe this feather would help me out? He was chasing after me, thankfully this time, on foot. Unthinkingly, I smashed my fist against the case, shattering the glass.

Ignoring the blood streaming from my hand, I snatched the feather and dodged just before Dark slammed into the case, smirking. I tried all sorts of things with it, waving it, throwing it at him, even trying to pour magical energy into it. None of it worked; in fact, it just gave Dark a very amusing show.

He was always give the feather back to me, or give me an opportunity to snatch it up before attacks, as if he was curious to see what I would do next.

It was infuriating, and I knew I was losing too much blood to keep dodging his attacks for long. Obviously the feather wasn't going to help me. I needed a new plan, something that couldn't fail. Because if it did, I didn't think I'd have the strength to stand anymore.

I was already losing some of my vision. It seemed to me that the color was draining from around me into blackness just like the world in my dreams. Luckily, I was still able to see enough to dodge his attacks and it seemed that despite exhaustion and ignoring injury, the rest of my body was functioning normally.

'Come on…Think!' I hissed to myself, clutching my injured side as I narrowly missed being clobbered over the head with what looked to be a very expensive piece of pottery. 'Why isn't anyone coming? Aren't there security guards in this museum?' Those worthless employees couldn't be counted on to help me; no, I desperately needed a way to get the old Dark back.

And then-a memory.

"_And what would you wish me to say?" _I was glaring at Dark for a reason I couldn't discern.

"_I don't know. Something outrageous like…I'm in love with you!" _

'Something outrageous…' I narrowly missed being hit over the head by a smirking Dark. And then, I remembered the content look Dark had worn right after…kissing me. Could I? It seemed impossible to get that close…I would have to do it in the split second before he landed an attack.

It was risky and I would probably be injured badly, perhaps even fatally, if the plan failed, but my short-circuiting brain could think of nothing better. Bracing myself, I waited until Dark made a move to attack then froze, biting my lips as he grew closer and closer.

My legs itched to flee and my mind was going crazy, warning me of his approach, but I held my ground, gritting my teeth. When he was so close I could bare it no longer, I lunged forward and smashed our lips together into a panicked kiss.

'Please work…'

**Dark's POV**

I awoke to the feeling of soft lips against mine. At least, it seemed like I had woken up, although I was standing up for some reason, so maybe I had just blacked out for a second. Was it even possible to sleep standing up?

Frustrated at my lack of sight, I opened my eyes, to see the most beautiful sight in the world. Krad-_my_ Krad, my brain cockily supplied-had his eyes closed and his pale lips against mine. One arm was wrapped around my waist and the other was behind my neck, presumably pulling me closer.

But the strangest thing was, I wasn't responding to the kiss and my hands were clenched into fists above his head, as if to smash them against his skull. I kissed back eagerly, and wrapping my hands around his waist, forgetting for the moment the strange situation.

And Krad's golden eyes opened and he broke the kiss. "Dark…" he whispered.

"That's me!" I replied and then he was sobbing, pulling me into a tight embrace. "Krad? What's wrong?" I asked, and I felt him sag against me. I was suddenly aware of how thin he really was, I traced my hands along his shirt and could feel their shape through his t-shirt, to my horror.

Most horrifying though, was when I went to cup Krad's face in my hands, and they were covered with blood. Giving a shout of surprise, I took a step back, giving me a chance to take in Krad's whole appearance.

Krad was a mess. Tears were streaking down his cheeks and his pristine white clothes were streaked and stained with blood. "I can't believe it." He was mumbling. "How like you Dark, just like a fairy tale…."

"What are you talking about? What happened to you?"

Krad shook his head. "You were gone."  
"What do you mean 'gone?'" I had a sinking feeling that the position I had found myself in had something to do with the injuries marring Krad's form.

"It was the other you."

"The other me?"

"The one in the dreams. Y-You were bleeding and you saw a feather and you-" Krad was making no sense and he choked into tears again, unable to even finish what he was saying. "I thought you were-I thought…" He seemed like he was trying really hard to choke back his tears, but he was having no success. Something had _really_ upset him.

"Shh…Krad, it's alright. I'm here and I'm going to get you all fixed up okay?"

Krad sobbed, and nodded.

"_What a weird dream…." Dark mused, leaping to his feet. Usually, he would just watch Daisuke's dreams and never really have any of his own. But this one was vivid as if he was really there. And the Krad in the dream was strangely fragile and innocent and- beautiful._

"_Oh no, don't go crazy on me now Dark!" He hissed to himself. "Krad can never be beautiful."_

_Or so he thought at the time…_

**Krad's POV**

I felt stupid. I could barely choke out my sentences before bursting into tears and Dark didn't seem to understand the information I was slowly relaying to him. I had never been one for tears and emotion, and so I couldn't understand why this was affecting me so much. _Is it just because it was Dark? Because I thought I had lost him forever?_

I'd had many traumatic experiences worse than this one, as a child no less and I had never cried quite so hard or so long. I couldn't understand it. For the first time, I found myself unable to think; content to just let Dark carry me out of the museum.

I was wearing his coat to cover most of the blood stains and I expected him to put me down and take his coat back when we got outside, but he walked all the way home and I found myself dozing in his arms.

Before I knew it, we were back at Dark's home and he was treating my injuries. He seemed genuinely concerned about me, and this confused me a great deal. 'Perhaps it is because he was the one who injured me? Or at least his body…'

After I had calmed down and had taken a shower, I told Dark what had happened at the museum. He was serious throughout the story, which I didn't expect but he thought it was funny that I had thought he would come back if I kissed him. I found it very awkward.

But he didn't tease me about it and he even made a promise to never let it happen again. He told me he had felt and seen nothing of that time and agreed with my assumption that the 'other' Dark had taken over for a short period of time. He also believed my theory that our actions and any noise we had made during our fight had not been heard at all by the security. It was his belief that time had momentarily frozen during our fight, as if the 'other' Dark had disrupted the flow of time.

I honestly didn't know what to think, and I told him that it was quite possible that our world was not real at all. "First, no record that the past ever occurred even though we remember it. Secondly, no one wants to tell us how old this place is. And finally, when I was fighting the 'other' you, it seemed for a moment that the world was draining into the black world, the "Black Wings" that is in our dreams."

"Not real? That's crazy! Are you saying that…the 'other' Dark is the real me? No way! Any loser that fights you cannot be me! And you don't hate me do you?" A head shake. "So that guy in the robes can't be you!"

I shook my head. "I don't know. Remember, you were able to track me using a bond. And you shed that feather in the museum. No. If we can do magic and you can grow feathers, in all likelihood the dream world is actually the real one."

Dark scowled. "I don't believe it."

I sighed. This was impossible. Dark ran out of the room and returned with a first-aid kit. He proceeded to clean me up and I was suddenly very thankful my lower body had not been injured beyond minor injuries. Still, Dark didn't seem to be doing this for his own benefit; he seemed focused on patching up my wounds and for that, I was grateful. Today had been awkward enough.

**Dark's POV**

I expected Krad to talk to me about the kiss, to tell me "it didn't mean anything", but he never mentioned it. Weeks passed, and Krad's injuries healed up. I started going to school again and Krad would hang out at my house, researching until I came home.

I still got pains in my back sometimes, but I didn't tell him. I knew he would freak out and worry about me.

I tried to talk to Santo to see if he knew anything but it turned out Krad was right. Santo had never had a dream like ours or any dreams of that nature at all. Or at least, that's what I got out of the strange looks he gave me when I asked him.

Ria is getting mad at me. I used to take her out every weekend but now I'm taking Krad. Krad's always cooped up in the house when I'm at school, so I figure it's good for him to get out once in a while. Ria never asked to break up with me though, which sort of annoys me. I want to be with Krad and I know I should break up with her, but I'm not even sure if Krad had kissed me because he likes me too, or if he did that to save his hide.

So, for the time being, I'm maintaining my normal collage life. But Krad is my free time now. I think my friends are getting irritated with me, because I never come over anymore. Daire says mom is wondering where I went, and I feel guilty. But I know I don't want to leave Krad at home alone for too long, and I couldn't have him be around Santo in case it triggered another 'migraine'.

My friends are suspicious, but I blow it off. Daire says he thinks I look "happier" though and maybe I am. I have no idea what's going on or what's coming next, but I really like hanging out with Krad. My notebooks are _filled_ with sketches of him. Honestly, I think I'm freaking everyone out.

Today, I came home to find Krad on the couch, watching an old western movie. His golden eyes flicked from side to side as the cowboy galloped across the screen and he even cracked a little smile when the villain went flying off his horse.

I cleared my throat and he whirled. "Dark!" He looked disgruntled, and he flushed.

"Hey." I said, plopping down beside him. "Haven't seen this movie in FOREVER! Pretty good though; a classic."

Krad raised an eyebrow. "Really? I've never seen it before."

"Never? Looks like we're eating here. You haven't gotten to the best part yet!"

It was times like these, seeing Krad's eyes light up at the prospect of a home-made dinner and an old Western, that I could forget about the dreams, and the magic and just pretend that all this was real. It was scary to think that one day I would wake up and be my 'other' self. And I would hate Krad. My Krad. How was that possible?

**Krad's POV**

Life was starting to feel like a dream. And honestly, I hadn't uncovered much during my hours of research. I'd even taken to taking _breaks_ once in a while to exercise or even play _online games_! There really was nothing there and some days, I honestly felt like I was imagining it all.

And then-a word, or a picture, or a face would trigger a memory.

_Krad flitted to Dark's side just as the thief sensed his arrival. _

"_So! Can you do it?"_

"_It will drain quite a bit of my powers and I might even require the use of some of your abilities as well, but it is in my power. Our memories will create this world but of course, it will be different then the real world based on our hidden desires."_

"_That's great!" Dark cried, pumping a fist in the air. "Can we start?"_

_Krad snorted. "If that wasn't my intention I never would have taken the time to find you. Now, I need access to your powers. Either that or you need to be saying the incantation and I will leak my powers to you."_

_Dark frowned. "I'll say it. That way, I can always stop if you decide to leave me hanging."_

_Krad smirked. "Fine. But, as you should know, we share a common interest in this endeavor. After all, it is not my wish that we be without any form of entertainment for our entire existences. And as you refuse to aid me in breaking free from the Black Wings, it seems this is our only option."_

"_Yeah, yeah. Let's get this over with already!" Dark cried, slapping his hands together and beginning to chant. Krad rolled his eyes, of course Dark would jump right into it without even giving him a cue._

_Closing his golden orbs, Krad let his power flow to join Dark's in the spell, praying that it wouldn't drain his energy so much that he had to pull his power back. Just imagining the smug look on Dark's face was enough to make him determined to keep lending his powers until the spell was complete. _

_But already he felt his body shiver with exhaustion and he could sense Dark was feeling the effects of the spell as well. Cursing, he added more of his powers to keep the spell afloat and prayed they would have enough combined power to complete the spell. After all, neither of them had attempted a spell this complicated or powerful before and Krad only had the speculation that they _should_ have the power needed to complete it._

'_It's no use worrying about it.' Krad berated himself. 'I should be concentrating on the spell and fully extending my powers. In frustration, he added yet another burst of his unique energy and all of a sudden, the world shifted. _

_Krad could hear Dark tumbling to his side as his white-winged counterpart lost his balance as well. Both were unable to return to their feet; Dark because he was unable to stop chanting lest he break the flow of the spell and Krad because of his sudden lack of power. _

_Hissing, the pale artwork fought to stay awake, but his senses were fading and he could barely detect Dark's concern over their link at his sudden lack of power before Dark was gone and he was vaguely aware of the memories that were slowly replacing the ones he had already-and sighing, gave in to the release._


	8. Chapter 8

AN: A quick note. This chapter does contain some material a little beyond chaste kisses although nothing beyond a short make-out is shown. If that makes you squimish, just skip the end of this chapter. If you like that stuff….continue please! ;)

_**DN Angel does not belong to me. Also, my inspiration for this chapter: Beautiful Disaster by Kelly Clarkson also does not belong to me. :D**_

Chapter 8

**Krad's POV**

"Dark. Dark, wake up!" I shook the motionless form and mentally berated my heart for picking up so much. He wasn't dead, in fact I could feel him breathing as he was currently sprawled across my lap.

However, his continued lack of response worried me. Even if he was having a memory, it still seemed odd that I would be unable to rouse him.

"Ugh! Wake up, you idiot!" I shoved him off my lap and ran to the kitchen-which, frighteningly, I had accidently called ours last night-and snatched a water bottle. Prying it open I preceded to pour it all over Dark.

"Argh! It's wet!" Dark was on his feet already, spitting water out of his mouth and coughing. "Geez Krad! What was that for?"

I shrugged. "You wouldn't wake up. Were you having a memory."

Dark frowned. "Yeah…Remember that one you had right before you turned on the movie. The one where we cast that spell?"

I nodded. "Yes. It only proves my theory that this life is no more than an illusion.

"Okay, well check this out."

"_Is it just me or is Krad getting closer?" Dark thought then sighed as he remembered that Daisuke was unable to hear him. "Guess it is just me…" And then, a flash of white._

_Dark blinked. "Ok, I must be going blind…or going crazy. Krad would never voluntarily come over here." Dark mumbled to himself, flexing his dark wings. _

_The figure drew closer and Dark blinked rapidly, still convinced his mind was playing tricks on him. He could see the blood stains now, Krad was so close. 'Ok, maybe he is real!' The Phantom Thief thought just before he gasped in shock as his counterpart opened his mouth as if to say something, then the blonde's legs buckled and he started to fall forward. _

"_Mousy…" Krad mumbled against his chest, as Dark lunged and caught the tumbling white-winged artwork._

"_What the hell, Krad? What were you thinking?! Your injuries haven't healed yet!" Dark couldn't understand why he was so heated about this particular subject but he was pissed. Krad was SUCH an idiot!_

"_I-" Krad paused and shivered, pitifully. "I was trying to -"_

_Dark cut him off. "You're cold. Why didn't you make yourself a fire?! You're an artist after all!"_

"_I-I did! At my camp…" Dark had never seen Krad look so weak and pitiful. It was…really cute like a child, almost. 'Wait…Krad…cute?!' Dark mentally freaked. 'Where in the seven hells did that come from! That dream!?"_

"_I did NOT just think that!" Dark shouted out loud, shaking his head rapidly, and forgetting he still had his other half in his arms._

"_Think what?" Krad asked not-so-innocently, raising an eyebrow._

"_Nothing." Dark hurried to say. His wings flipped outward and he flew in the direction of where he Krad had been before. Was…was this some sort of trick? 'Either that, or Krad's had a series change of heart and he's gotten his sanity back,' Dark though, sarcastically. _

_He was sort of leaning towards the first option. He dropped Krad next to the fire and turned to leave when a voice sounding like Krad's but saying something that Krad would never say spoke up, "Do you want to stay here? It's warmer."_

"_Uh, Krad? Are you feeling alright?" Dark asked, taking a seat besides the light angel. "He must have lost too much blood. That's probably it. It looks like the stain's gotten bigger. Idiot shouldn't have used that much magic." Dark reflected, taking a seat next to his counterpart. _

_The thief heard Krad sigh loudly and then, "Dark, may I ask you a question."_

_Dark blinked. What was with the sudden use of his first name? "Uh…sure."_

_Krad rolled his eyes and Dark mentally sighed in relief. The real Krad was back!_

"_Is that the most intelligent answer you can come up with Mousy?" Krad shook his head, almost disappointedly. "I have a theory about our attempt to create a world here."_

"_Yeah? What is this 'theory' of yours? "_

"_It may not have failed."_

"_Wait…what? Krad have you lost your mind?!" _

"_As you can see, I am perfectly sane Mousy. Getting back to my idea, it is completely possible that more time has passed then we realize."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_It is impossible to measure time in this darkness. It is quite possible that we were un-conscious for a large span of time. In that time, the spell could have taken effect. You informed me of that dream you had while you were out-where I was…._human _so perhaps, for a short period of time, we succeeded. However, I believe our memories of that time have been erased which can mean one of two things. First, the energy we used ran out of power and the spell deactivated. Or, our dream selves have been killed."_

"_But how could that be? We used up all of our energy. The spell's power shouldn't have faded that fast. And if the world we were in was so perfect, how is it that would die that early?"_

_Krad scoffed. "I have none of the answers Mousy. You try coming up with a theory."_

"_Ya know what I think? I think it was a dream and that the spell failed because we passed out after using too much energy. That's my theory."_

**Dark's POV**

I shifted, waiting for Krad's reaction to my summary of the memory I had just seen.

"If what they say is true, not only does it confirm our suspicions, it also means it is quite possible that we are existing at the same time in different places."

"Woo! This is starting to sound more and more like a corny sci-fi movie." And really, it was. This honestly seemed utterly impossible. If we told anyone about this, they'd think we were insane.

"Dark! I'm serious!" Krad snapped. "This could mean contact is possible between us! After all, the "other you" was here already, wasn't he?

I frowned. "You're forgetting something."

Krad cocked his head to the side in confusion. "What?"

You said ".._our memories of that time have been erased which can mean one of two things. First, the energy we used ran out of power and the spell deactivated. Or, our dream selves have been killed." _So, either we kill ourselves, or they have to stop using their powers so we can get out of here. And honestly, I don't think they even know they're using them."

Krad frowned. "Death…"

"Oh, don't you even start! We are not killing ourselves. Who knows if it will even work."

"But it's possible!" Krad argued. "And what is the point of leaving anymore anyways if this is not a real life, but an illusion? I'm tired of this game Dark."

"But…" my heart was pounding. "Krad, there must be another way. You can't just go and kill yourself. What if it doesn't work? Can't you just keep researching and stay with me? We're having fun, aren't we?! We'll find another answer, I swear!"

Krad shook his head. "I don't think so Dark. This is the only clue we've gotten and it sounded to me like that was the best the 'other me' could come up with. We have to at least try."  
"And what happens when we're dead Krad. Huh? Then there's no second chances."

"Simple. I'll kill myself and if it doesn't work, you can try something else. You don't have to follow me."

"You're insane!" I shouted, shaking him. "You've gone nuts. Did you ever think for a second that I would ever let you kill yourself?! That I could even _think_ of surviving without you? I'd be clueless, and alone. I'd go insane!"

Krad bit his lip. "Fine." With a swish of blond hair, he disappeared into his room.

I sank to the couch, panting. My heart was racing and I could feel myself shaking. How could Krad even think about doing that to me? I would have to prove to him how much he really meant to me. How…I wasn't sure yet.

**Krad's POV**

I ran to my bedroom-no, it was Dark's guest bedroom, not mine-and sat down heavily on the bed. We hadn't gotten into a fight since Dark had kissed me and honestly, I was frightened.

I hadn't had much _real_ human contact and I hadn't felt really at home until now. I was always starving for attention; even when I was little, but now that I had it, I was constantly afraid Dark would grow bored of me and throw me out eventually. After all, we hadn't made much progress with research and even I would be a little wary of having a person you picked up off the street living in my house.

So, with this in mind, I hadn't really expected Dark's sharp reaction. What was with him? One moment I was afraid he was going to kill me, the next annoy me to death, and the next kiss me senseless. I was never quite sure what to expect.

To make matters even more confusing for me, he'd yelled "Did you ever think for a second that I would ever let you kill yourself?! That I could even _think_ of surviving without you?!"

Did he mean that or was he so worked up he screamed it without thinking? I could never tell. My heart was beating so fast I feared it was going to leap out of my chest and it kept hoping that this meant what I thought it did-that Dark's kiss was more than lust. That he actually _loved _me.

But I had trained my brain to fight this sort of attachment from an early age and it was quite possible that my heart's assumption could be incorrect. I couldn't afford to fall in love with him and then find that my affections were not returned. My heart couldn't take another hit like that.

'And besides…' the voice in my head whispered. 'He has that girl, Ria Harada already. He's taken, he's chosen. Why would he want you-a boy who lived on the streets without a penny to his name? No doubt that girl is as rich as she is beautiful. Dark would never choose you…'

"Krad?"

I jumped, shaken out of my thoughts by Dark. He was waving his hand in front of my face and he looked worried, so I must have been really out of it.

"Hey. I'm taking the day off of school. I can get the notes from Santo. I wanna take you someplace."

"Where?" I ask, getting to my feet and putting on my Vans.

"Somewhere special." Dark replied and grinned.

Turned out Dark's idea of special was an old ice cream shop by his collage and fountain outside; the kind you throw coins into and make a wish. I refused to waste money by way of the fountain and commented that the money could easily be stolen by someone who was desperate for cash but Dark looked scandalized.

"Krad, these are wishes! Even if you were desperate for money, you shouldn't take from here!"

I rolled my eyes. "I never said _I_ was desperate for money. I have more class than stealing from a place like this."

Dark pouted. "This is sacred Krad. If you steal the money, the wishes might not come true! And I know this place works."

"Oh do you?"

"Yep! It worked the last time I wished…."

**Dark's POV**

_A twelve year old Dark hurried to the ice cream shop, the money he'd saved up in quarters clutched in his hand. He'd stumbled, and one of the little coins had flown into the fountain. He'd reached in to grab it out of the fountain, when a little hand snatched his. _

"_Hey! Once you've made a wish, you shouldn't take it out again. Here, you can have my quarter." A little voice told him and he looked up to see a messy haired red-head handing him another quarter._

"_Hey! Thanks kid! But uh, I don't know what to wish for."_

"_Wish for anything!" the boy gushed and then seemed to remember himself. "Sorry. I'm Daire Niwa. I'm ten."_

"_Dark Mousy. Twelve." Thinking hard, I thought of a wish. '_I wish I had a family that would spend more time with me…'

"_Hey Dark! Wanna get some ice cream with me and my mom?"_

"See!"I crowed, finishing my story. "It came true! I found Daire and Emiko!"

Krad nodded, wearing a faraway look he usually got when he was thinking. "I guess…it wouldn't hurt…"

"That's the spirit!" I cried, and handed him a coin. "Make it a good one and it's sure to come true!"

I saw him whisper something under his breath, his lips moving without making any sound and then he tossed the coin into the fountain. He trotted over to me and snorted. "That must have been the most idiotic thing I've ever done in my life."

"Really?" I asked. "I've done so much worse." I grinned and I dragged him inside the shop. He huffed in annoyance but still held my hand, which I counted as a point in my favor.

I let go regretfully then trotted up to the counter. An elderly woman stood there wearing an apron and a big smile. "And what can I get you two boys?"

"I'll have a rocky road. Double scoop with a chocolate cone." I told her then turned to Krad. "What do you want?"

Krad bit his lip and I saw his eyes traveling over the choices. "May I have…vanilla ice cream in a cup please?" He turned to me. "Do you have enough money for me to get a double scoop?"

I smiled. "Go ahead."

"Okay, can you add another scoop to that, please?"

The woman nodded, and typed the orders into the cash register. I handed her my credit card and she swiped it, handing it back with the receipt.

We waited for a while as she prepared the ice cream, and I could feel myself drooling. Krad just looked vaguely interested but it looked like he was paying attention to the preparation rather than the ice cream.

When we received the frozen treats, I ran outside to the table by the fountain where I had sat with Emiko and Daire that time. Krad followed more slowly, careful not to drip any ice cream onto the ground.

"Dark?" he asked, taking a tiny lick of ice cream. "How often have you come here since then?"

I laughed. "Never."

"What? I thought this place was special to you."

"It is." I replied, sucking on the ice cream. "But it's meant to be shared and until now, I didn't have someone I wanted to share it with."

Krad frowned, looking like he wanted to say something, but instead took another tiny like of ice cream. "I see…"

"Hey!" I said, as he took another tiny bit of ice cream into his mouth. "It's going to take you two hours to finish if you eat like that!"

Krad's eyes narrowed. "I'm savoring it. It's not every day I eat food of this quality."

I rolled my eyes. "You live with me now remember. And I'm determined to get you the best food there is. Now, you can still 'savor it' or whatever but you have to get a little bit more in your mouth at a time or you're going to be eating it all day!" As an example, I took a large portion into my mouth.

"See?"

Krad laughed, and the sound was like wind chimes. "You-Your teeth are totally brown Dark." And then he was laughing harder, golden eyes filled with mirth. It was contagious and soon we were both laughing so hard we were crying and we had totally forgotten why we were laughing in the first place.

Krad chuckled and then made to capture the escaping drips of ice cream. The day was sunny and clear but luckily, not hot enough to melt the ice cream too much while we were laughing.

I finished mine up and spent the rest of the time just watching Krad eat. It seemed to freak him out a little, but I enjoyed it.

The only problem was, I was getting that urge to kiss him again and the white ice cream dribbling down his chin and the way his adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed was _not _helping.

His golden-amber eyes met mine, and I couldn't help it. I reached across the table and pulled him closer into a chaste kiss. Or at least, what I meant to be a chaste kiss.

But as soon as he started kissing back, I couldn't help myself. I was all over him, biting and licking at his lower lip and then, when his lips parted with a gasp, I was exploring his mouth. My tongue traced patterns around the inside of his mouth and I sucked at his lip again, relishing the combined flavor of the ice cream and Krad.

Finally, I pulled away. Krad's face was flushed and his eyes were closed to slits. He was panting and the sight nearly caused me to break and kiss him again. Instead, I bit my lip and crossed my legs.

After what seemed like eons, his eyes fluttered open. "Dark. You have to tell me this time."

"Tell you what?" I replied.

"How you feel about me." Krad urged, leaning closer.

"I-" My brain must have turned to mush because even though I meant it, I never had anticipated the "I love you," popping out from the inside of my brain.

Krad nodded to himself and he smirked. "Guess you were right Dark."

"Huh?" I asked, momentarily stunned. How could I say that so soon? We'd only kissed like…three times! And what was with his reaction?!

"About the fountain. It really does work."

At that, I pulled him in for another kiss.

AN: Well, how did you like it? I got a burst of inspiration and this resulted so I hope you've enjoyed this relatively quick update. Please let me know what you think. Next time we'll gravitate towards the plot a little more so for people that are looking for plot, plot is coming!

Thanks for reading!


	9. Chapter 9

An: Well, this chapter wasn't what I was expecting at all. I had originally planned Dark to gain full wings in this chapter, but I think I like what I came up with better. :D The reason I didn't go with my original plan? My computer crashed and I had to completely start over in order to fix it….meaning my document got deleted. I was too lazy to re-write the scene I had so…..this is the result! I hope you enjoy and forgive me for the slow update.

PS. DN Angel does NOT belong to me. Although, if someone would be willing to give it to me, I wouldn't protest! ^^

_He looked so peaceful asleep….Dark drifted closer, freezing when Krad shifted in his sleep. Deeming it safe, Dark dropped to the ground quietly and inched towards the form of his rival, admiring the peaceful face of his enemy. _

"_Why can't you be like the Krad I saw in my dream? Why can't we just get along?" Dark reached to brush his fingers against the white-winged artwork's cheek._

…_.Bad idea. _

"_Dark!!!" A scream of rage. "Stay out of here!" Dark took to the air, shooting up and away on instinct._

_The purple-haired angel drew closer, causing his opposite to glare._

"_But I'm bored!" the thief wined childishly. "Can't I hang out with you for a little while?"_

"_Only if I can wring your neck for a little while," Krad replied sweetly. _

_Dark sighed. "Krad, why can't you be nicer to me?"_

_A snarl. "You know why I cannot Mousy!" Krad flared his wings, a sign to Dark that he was irritated and would attack if the thief got any closer. _

_Dark grinned, and took a couple steps forward. _

_Immediately, he was attacked by a raging angel. "I told you to stay away Mousy!" _

"_Ah!" Dark gave a shout of surprise and in his shock, folded his wings. He went toppling to the ground with a smirking Krad pinning him to the ground. _

"_I win this round thief."_

_Dark grinned. "I don't think so." Dark was suddenly on top of Krad, pinning the other angel and being sure to leave_ no _room for the hunter to escape. _

_Krad just sighed. "This is pointless."_

_Dark frowned, the game foiled and hopped off of Krad. "What do you mean?"_

"_It isn't if you are stealing anything. Besides, it's a pointless argument. I was foolish to believe you would stay away for long."_

_Dark grinned. "So you missed me."_

**Krad's POV**

I woke up exhausted. I had no idea why but it looked like I had been dreaming. My bed sheets were disheveled as if I had been moving around. However, I could recall nothing of what I had dreamt. I assumed that meant it had just been a normal dream. It was rather…disappointing.

I rubbed at my eyes, which were heavy with sleep and tumbled out of bed. My back was itching like crazy-which seemed to happen when I got déjà vu about my dreams. I supposed it was the feeling of exhaustion-the other me must have experienced that a lot in his fights with Dark.

I stumbled over the kitchen, wondering if Dark was awake.

Dark was bustling around the kitchen and he was humming a little tune to himself. I couldn't understand him. How could he be so cheerful in the morning?! It was so _early_.

When he caught sight of me he grinned. "You're awake! Finally!"

I snorted. "It's six-o'-clock Dark. You couldn't have been waiting _that _long."

"An hour." He conceded then smiled. "Hey, so we're out of waffles so pancakes will have to work for this morning, alright?"

I nodded. Dark drizzled his helping of-was that five-pancakes?!- with gallons of syrup, looking at the food as if it was a treasure ready for him to steal.

I didn't bother putting the sugary-liquid on my share. Instead, I spread a light amount of butter on them. Dark shook his head at me but I felt they tasted better this way. The syrup had a way of overpowering the pancakes' taste.

As soon he was finished, Dark waved goodbye, grabbed his bag, and dashed out the door to go to school. I was sorry to see him go.

Realistically, I knew that Dark needed to see his friends and missing this much school was harming his education. However, I couldn't help but wish that he could spend all his time with me. Frowning, I noticed that one of his notebooks had fallen out during his mad dash for the door. I opened it, intending to find out what class it was for. Perhaps he didn't need it until later?

I let out a little gasp. The journal had very little writing in it at all-in fact, it was filled with drawings. And they were all of me. It was a tad strange, but I admitted to myself-very flattering. Each drawing seemed to be a different pose or facial expression. Some were just heads others entire bodies. Some even contained backgrounds. But as I flipped through, all I could see was my face staring back at me.

Some of them had little captions sprawled underneath them. One stated "my favorite face. He's so cute when he's laughing" and depicted a sketch of me; eyes shining with mirth. Another read "his amazing little smile. I can't get over how adorable it is every time I see it" under a portrait of me wearing a hesitant happy smile. My head was tilted slightly upward, and I imagined that because I was slightly shorter than Dark was, this was the angle he must see me smile at.

I shut the notebook, grinning softly to myself and feeling very warm inside. He thought about me. He liked my laugh. I still couldn't believe it. But, I decided, shaking myself from my love-sick feelings, he would probably need his notebook back. He would certainly miss it if this was a routine thing; and factoring in the amount of drawings, I'd say it was.

Not only that; but I had spotted a rather important looking piece of notes near the back of the journal that I worried he'd miss. I sighed. I would just have to go by the school and give it to him.

I knew my way there, Dark had shown me the campus and where all of his classrooms were. But that was during the holidays, and I was feeling very nervous going to the school alone. I decided I would wait outside his class room for him. If his professor was giving a lector or talking about something of great importance, then it would be rude for me to butt in.

Besides, it would be awkward for me to enter a room full of strangers just to hand Dark his notebook. No, I would have to wait for him.

I sat on a bench near the door, watching it for a glimpse of violet hair. I played with the binding on the journal absentmindedly, not knowing how long it would take.

I must have dozed off, because the next thing I knew, I heard Dark's voice. It seemed to be retreating from me. I looked up and spotted unruly spiked hair peeking out of a crowd of students. I clutched the notebook to my chest and headed after him, determined to grab him before his next course.

I lost sight of him for a while, pushing through a crowd of chattering students. Dark had made his way towards another class room. He was talking with one of his friends-Ria-I recalled, but I couldn't tell what he was saying. And then her eyes flashed and she leaned forward, taking his hand. Their lips met.

**Dark's POV**

I couldn't believe it! I had told her that I was seeing someone else-no, I wasn't joking- and that it wasn't working out between us. But she kept insisting that we were meant to be. I tried to head to class but she snatched my arm.

"Risa what-?"

"I love you!" she sobbed, and forced our lips together.

Ria tasted nothing like Krad. At one time, I thought she was the best kisser in the world. Now, I was tearing away from her, trying not to gag. "Ria, I told you! I'm breaking up with you. I'm sorry, but I can't see you anymore. You may love me but I love someone else!"

"Dark, no! We're meant for each other. I know it!"

"Stop Risa. You're a beautiful girl. You'll find someone else."

"No! There's no one else but you!" she wined, pulling at my hand.

I looked up and suddenly, I thought I saw golden hair. "Excuse me." I mumbled, and tore after the blur. Even if it wasn't Krad, I had to make sure. He could have gotten the wrong impression.

As I got closer, I was able to make out the figure clearer and see that it was in fact, Krad. That was not a good sign. "Krad!" I cried, panting. "Wait!" but he didn't stop. Another bad sign.

Finally, he seemed to run out of energy and slumped against a wall. Only then could I see the tears tumbling down his face. His nose and eyes were red and his face was marred by the large frown plastered across it. "Go away Dark." He growled.

He was clutching something to his chest and I stepped closer, identifying it as one of my notebooks. He must have come to give to me. A wave of guilt flew over me. I could have prevented Ria from kissing me. I could have slapped her to show I hadn't enjoyed her kiss….but then, she was still my friend.

"Didn't you hear me!?" Krad sobbed, scooting closer to the wall. "Leave me alone Mousy."

"I won't leave you alone Krad. What's wrong? What did you see?"

"What did I see?!" Krad growled, golden eyes flashing. "I saw you kissing her. To think I believed in you and that stupid fountain."

"Krad, you don't understand. _She_ kissed _me_. I didn't want to-I would never-"

"Liar!" Krad howled and got to his feet. He stumbled, but was soon tearing away from me again. It took me longer to catch him this time, and when I did, he appeared to be frozen.

"Krad? Krad, I'm sorry. I swear I didn't mean it like that. I love you."

It was strangely quiet. Then I realized that I couldn't hear Krad panting or even the sound of his soft sobs. "Krad…"

The sound of ripping fabric and feathers went flying. Krad's empty eyes met mine and he snarled. "I'll kill you!"

"Ah shit." I cursed out loud. Apparently, Krad had gotten so upset or tired that the other Krad had come out. "I have no time to deal with you."

The other Krad smirked. "Going somewhere Mousy? I think not." He swooped at me, and dodging to the side, I ripped the sleeve of my t-shirt. Only then did the other Krad pause.

"Dark…why is that you are wearing those clothes?" the figure that looking hauntingly like Krad asked, sounding suspicious.

I shrugged, confused "Because I put them on this morning...? Uh, I think you might have the wrong Dark Mousy."

The other Krad smirked. "So he was right. It did work." He alighted on the side-walk in front of me, golden eyes studying my form. "Can you use magic?"

"We don't have wings but…we can we can form bonds and use a little bit of magic." I informed him. "But other than that, we're normal."

"I see." The other Krad smirked. "And where is my human form?"

I sighed. "He sort of turned it to you."

Krad frowned. "I see. I'm going to inform _my_ Dark Mousy about this. I'm going to attempt to return to the Black Wings."

I nodded. "Go ahead."

Golden orbs closed then cracked open again. "But first, I'm going to have so fun!" A freaky smirk and the winged Krad snatched me up. My eyes widened as he flapped upwards. He wasn't intending to drop me from this height was he?!

"Put me down!" I cried, glaring at him. _My_ Krad would never choke me like this!

Krad grinned sadistically. "You are all mine Dark Mousy. You make a surprisingly convincing human." He chuckled to himself and then said out loud. "I wonder what would happen if I dropped you? Do you think the real Dark would die as well?"

"I-I don't know." I choked out, glaring at him. "Can you put me down now!?"

The angel sighed. "Fine. You are a spoil-sport Dark." He drifted to the ground, letting go of me and closed his eyes. "I suspect we will meet again human Dark Mousy."

And then Krad was sagging. I lunged to catch him before his body crumpled completely.

"_Krad. Oy! Krad! Wake the hell up. You're scaring me!" _

_Krad's golden orbs fluttered open to find a worried looking pair of violet ones. "What's wrong with you?!" The golden-haired hunter asked mockingly._

_Dark was breathing hard and his white-winged counterpart could hear his heart knocking against him ribs. Something was obviously wrong but the white-winged angel could see nor hear anything abnormal. _

"_Your magic..." Dark started, pausing to take a gulping breath, "Your energy got really low. Like 'I'm going to die soon' low…and then…you started shaking so I…"_

"_You liar!" Krad snapped, leaping to his feet, glaring at the thief. "I know you can feel my energy levels though our bond. How then, did they suddenly get this high again if they were deathly low?!"_

"_I….I refilled them…"_

"_You WHAT?!" Krad hissed, voice deathly quiet. _

_Dark looked sheepish. "I couldn't think of anything so I…"_

_The hunter shook his head, sending golden locks flying from side to side. "You're becoming more human by the minute Mousy. How _dare_ you touch me-"_

"_Do you _want_ me to let you die?!"_

"_Yes!" Krad shouted, golden magic building in his palms. "I hate this place. There's nothing but the darkness! Even with a form of my own, I'm cursed with the inability to kill you. Yet, even our attempt to work together failed. And, I'm forced to spend the rest of eternity with YOU!"_

"_Krad calm down!" Dark cried, taking a step closer to his opposite. "You just regained your energy." _

"_Nonsense. Don't try to fool me Mousy." _

"_But I'm telling you….Shit." The thief had, apparently, given away too much of his energy. He wobbled and fell to his knees clutching his head. _

_Krad grinned, taking a step closer. Apparently, the thief hadn't been lying but that argument was old news. Instead, he was presented with a golden opportunity… 'I could kill him right now.' Krad mused. 'He's too weak to stop me.'_

_Dark crumpled to the ground, apparently out cold. Krad's grin widened. 'One blow and he'll be done for.' Magic built in his palms, ready for use…_

_So then, why was he carrying his counterpart over to the warmth of the fire? 'I don't want him to die like this. I want to beat him in a fight. Then I will kill him. That must be the reason.' Krad nodded hard, half-convincing himself and placed a gloved hand on Dark's forehead. _

'_Good no fever….because he'll get better faster without one.' The long-haired demon removed his hand, carefully sliding off his glove and trying again just to confirm the absence of heat. It was unusual for anyone to be without fever after transferring so much energy. _

'_No matter…' Krad let his magic build and carefully leaked a fraction of his powers to the violet-haired thief. 'There…that ought to hasten his recovery.'_

**Krad's POV**

Had I passed out? Had I been dreaming? I couldn't remember. But the next thing I knew, I was in Dark's arms and he was carrying me in the direction of our house.

I hissed, wriggling out of his grasp. "Let me go!" I cried, leaping free. Unfortunately, I seemed to have lost some of my energy and I was forced to let Dark steady me.

"Krad, calm down! You have to calm down or you'll-"

"How can I calm down when you betrayed me?!" I raged, backing away from the only person I had thought I could trust. "I saw this journal and I really thought….that you…that you cared about me! Well, I guess I was wrong."

"Krad, don't! Please don't do this to me. I love you. There's no one I'd rather kiss than you."

I narrowed my eyes. "How can I trust you? You're just like all the rest. You use me and then discard me when I'm no use to you anymore." _Just like my father, just like those thugs on the street. How could I have been so naïve? They're all the same. How could I think he would love me and let me stay with him without a price?!_

"Damn it Krad! I could never, ever hurt you. I swear to God I'll do anything to keep you. Please…" Dark was getting desperate, but I didn't care. It served him right for being disloyal.

I shut my eyes hard, forcing back the tears and ran. "I hate you!" I screamed, my feet tearing down the pavement. "I was stupid to trust you and now, I'll never come back!"

I thought I heard Dark scream my name in grief behind me but if he had, I ignored his false acting and kept running, not stopping until my legs gave out. Luckily, at this point I had lost him. Feeling dizzy and distraught, I smashed my head against the alley wall in frustration.

I was such a naïve, trusting fool. I had spent so much time building a wall, masking my emotions. All so that I would never be hurt again. I should have never opened up to Dark, never let the wall crumble. It had been a mistake, and I knew it now.

That mask would _never_ come off again.

"_Ugh…." The phantom thief mumbled, violet orbs flickering open. "Wha-?"_

"_Ah, you are awake Mousy. I was beginning to doubt you were really going to survive." _

'_My energy….' Dark thought to himself. 'Shouldn't it be lower?' Wait….did that mean… "Krad you gave me some of your power?!"_

_Krad smirked. "I couldn't let you die in that foolish manner. I will be the one to kill you and I _will _kill you at your full power."_

_Dark grinned back. "Of course."_

_Krad blinked, seeming to think something over. "I believe I have realized why my energy was so dangerously low. As I recall, yours was in a similar state after that so-called 'dream' you had."_

"_Hey! That's right! …But Krad, what does my dream have to do with anything?"_

_Krad shook his head. "That was no dream Mousy. You were correct in that the spell did, in fact, work. However, it did not have the desired effect. Instead of creating a world in here for us, it created another world for copies of ourselves."_

_Dark's eyes widened. "No way!"_

_Krad rolled his eyes. "I managed to have a conversation with the false Dark Mousy. Apparently, they are able to form bonds and use limited magic, but are completely human. It seems that when one of us enters that world, we take over the form of our copy."_

"_So that's why I only came into contact with the other you!" Dark cried, eyes lighting up. _

"_Precisely. I believe that the inhabitants of this parallel dimension of sorts may come in handy…."_


	10. Chapter 10

**Dark's POV**

Krad was still unconscious, and I couldn't leave him here, so I scooped him up in my arms and started carrying him towards the house. We had almost gotten there when I felt him stirring in my arms.

Golden orbs met mine and he snarled, trying to escape from my hold on him. "Let me go!" he cried, and I did, unable to hold him any longer. But, as soon as he broke free, he wobbled and I hurried to his side, making sure he wouldn't fall.

I was worried about him. He was exhausted and if he got too worked up again, the other Krad would come out again. "Krad, calm down!" I shouted, terrified for him. "You have to calm down or you'll-"

"How can I calm down when you betrayed me?!" He screamed, retreating backwards like a cornered animal. "I saw this journal and I really thought….that you…that you cared about me! Well, I guess I was wrong."

_No, no, no!_

"Krad, don't! Please don't do this to me. I love you. There's no one I'd rather kiss than you." I pleaded, taking a step closer to him.

Krad's golden eyes were glaring at me. He had never looked more like the other Krad. "How can I trust you? You're just like all the rest. You use me and then discard me when I'm no use to you anymore." _God, what had I done? Krad had told me about his past, I knew he had no other friends, no other family._

"Damn it Krad! I could never, ever hurt you. I swear to God I'll do anything to keep you. Please…" I was grasping at straws now, realizing the depth of the pain Krad must be going though.

Krad paused, and I dared to hope that he would forgive me. But then, he was screaming. "I hate you!" He turned and ran, half stumbling and half sprinting in the opposite direction of me."I was stupid to trust you and now, I'll never come back!"

_No, no!_ "Krad!" I howled, tears streaking down my face. I clutched at my chest, feeling as if there must be a dagger buried in my chest. _How could this have happened? _

I was tired and hungry and exhausted, but I didn't care. I searched all over for Krad. I ran to every place I could think of. Finally, out of breath and feet aching, I attempted to find him by our bond-that was the first thing I should have done! Stupid!-but found that he had disconnected it. I had been searching for hours, but I wouldn't give up. I was nothing without Krad now. What was I supposed to do without him?

Besides which, the agony of being apart from him when he was upset like this was tearing me apart. A stab of guilt ran through me at the thought that I-the person that was meant to protect and shelter him-had caused him this pain. Every time I reached for the bond to find it disconnected was like a physical shock of pain. I had grown so used to having him near me, and I feared that now, my entire world was hinged around him. Without him, I was an empty shell.

Krad's parting words echoed in the back of my mind, as if to taunt me. _"I hate you!" He screamed, tearing further and further away from me. "I was stupid to trust you and now, I'll never come back!"_ How could he say that?! Had I really hurt him that much without even meaning to? Hatred…was such a strong emotion. Was that really what he felt for me?

I slammed my fist into a near-by wall; not even caring about the blood now running down my hand. "Damn it!" Suddenly, there was a swooping sensation, as if I had just been lifted 20 feet in the air in a second. The feeling of magic was the last thing I remembered before I couldn't see anything. Except the blackness.

And when something white stepped into my field of vision, I realized where I was. The world of the dreams.

"Bring me back." I snarled, recognizing the other Krad immediately. "What have you done?!"

The other Krad looked amused, sauntering towards me at a tauntingly slow pace. "_Me? I have done nothing. It was Dark's powers that sent you here and allowed him to switch with you. I have not done anything what so ever._"

But the smirk in his face gave him away. "Liar! This was your plan!" I had no idea if what I was saying was true, but it spewed from my lips like a storm, unable to be controlled.

"_Ooh, you are the clever one._" The other Krad taunted. As much as I tried to stop them, tears began to pool in the corner of my eyes. I knew this wasn't my Krad, but just seeing him-or at least, someone who looked like him-with that smug and aloof attitude was killing me.

"Bring me back." I growled, taking a step forward. "I need to find Krad."

"_I apologize, but I have no intention of doing that._" The other Krad bowed mockingly. "_First, I need to know, does the name 'Hikari' ring any bells? 'Niwa' perhaps?"_

I couldn't help the little gasp that fell from my lips. He knew my friends. At least, he knew their last names. How much did this imposter really know about me and Krad?

A wide grin was spreading across the other Krad's face. "_I see…so my theory was correct. Now tell me, what are their first names?"_

I bit my lip. If I gave him that information, would he go after my friends too? Bring them here? I couldn't let him do that!

"I refuse." I spit out, and bit my lip hard.

"_Really_?" he asked, his voice taking on a harsher, less teasing tone that I found to be even more frightening. "_I think you will tell me their names." _And with a wave of his gloved hand, I was rocketing towards him.

I was on my knees, unable to help bowing my head to him. "_Now, tell me or I will be forced to take some rather unpleasant measures._" He hissed in my ear.

I could tell my lip would bruise. I could taste the coppery tang of blood in my mouth but I refused to stop biting my lip, afraid even to open my mouth lest some spell or another would force me to speak.

After my silence, the robed Krad shook his head, sending golden strands flying from side to side. "_You would take care not to deny me of desires, human Dark Mousy. You will find I make a rather terrifying enemy!_" He mumbled something unintelligible under his breath, and then the world lurched. Black spots were clouding my vision and my lungs were aching, as if I was underwater. I was vaguely aware that he was using his magic to strangle me, but soon, my thoughts grew murky. "_I will release you, if you tell me the first names of those people_." Krad's voice was like honey in my ear, silky smooth and for a moment, I forgot which Krad I was dealing with.

Obediently, I opened my mouth and the pressure was gone. "Santo Hiwatari and Daire Niwa." I breathed, and then fell into a coughing fit.

"_And do they know of us or use magic of any sort?"_

"No." I wheezed.

"_Good. Well, it seems we haven't sucked them into this mess after all. Fitting._"

"What are you talking about?" I gasped, clutching at my throat. "What do you need those names for?"

"_Nothing that concerns you Mousy_," his voice was cold, dismissive. His golden eyes glittered with mischief. "_Ah! You thought I was planning to hurt them, did you not?_"

I didn't dare move, fearing even a nod or a blink would cause him to kill them on the spot.

He laughed, seeming very amused. "_Oh, you are entertaining. No, I have no desire to harm those mindless little clones. They have no relevance to me."_ I had to bite my lip again to hide my sigh of relief.

"_However, you and my own magical copy are a different story._"

My blood boiled. "Don't you _dare_ put your mangy paws on Krad. I'll kill you!"

"_Oh, I'm afraid it's far too late, my dear human Dark." _The winged devil drawled. "_Isn't that right, Krad?"_

**Krad's POV**

I was exhausted from all the running and I convinced myself food was necessary, even though food sounded less than appealing at the moment. I spied a café nearby and slipped to the back of the restaurant collecting half eaten French fries and a sandwich.

I took a bite, and immediately felt famished. I wolfed down the food, grateful for the distraction from my thoughts and the boost in energy. But just the sight of waffles among the discarded garbage was enough to bring me to my knees, sobbing.

All that time, all those things we had done. Was it really nothing? All those times Dark had whispered "I love you!" in my ear or kissed me as he ran out the door….were they really all a lie? Half of me still rebelled, the lovesick portion of my mind that insisted that there must have been some mistake and that I should go back and listen to Dark. That I should reconnect our bond and allow him to trace me.

But the stronger, harder part of me, the part that had survived on the streets almost my entire life, scoffed at that idea and urged me to distance myself from the dishonest and traitorous thief. He really was a thief-he had stolen my heart. But just as paintings chip and lose shine as they age, I had also lost value in Dark's mind and I was discarded amongst the trash.

Just like what my father had done with my mother and with me. Just like every person who called himself my "friend".

"Who knows how many he's done that to?" I whisper, hugging myself. "He's a natural flirt. I'm sure he's had many people groveling beneath his feet. I never should have trusted him."

_What was it about him that made him so hard to resist? _'Everything,' my mind whispered.

"AH HA! Found you! Man, for a human, you are not easy to find!" A panting and grinning Dark appeared in front of me and I jumped, tumbling backwards.

"Damn it! I thought I told you to stay away from me!" I snarled, ready to flee again.

And then the words he had just spoken finally reached my brain. He had called me a _human._

"You-You're not-"

"Not the Dark you know? Yep! I'm the real one, and I'm here to escort you to a different plane of existence."

"What? I have no intention of following you where ever you go! Get away from me!" I stumbled backwards. Even if this was not the Dark I knew, it was still Dark Mousy and he was still a stranger and a threat. Besides which, I had no idea what he meant by a different "plane of existence" but I was sure it wasn't anything good.

I recalled the last time we had met and paled of the thought of the methods I had taken to return Dark to his body. _Not this time…_

"Now come on Kraddie! Play nice now!" The other Dark grinned, leaping forwards. "Wouldn't want anyone to get hurt!"

"Stop it!" I howled, clawing at the thief now clinging to me. "Don't touch me!" Memories came flooding back, of a childhood cursed with abuse and terror. I whimpered, feeling the tears start to run down my face. There was no Dark to come save me now—and I realized, that ever since I had met him, every situation I had gotten into, Dark _had _come to save me. What a weakling I'd become.

"Sorry! Too late!" Too slow, I realized that that winged Dark had gained possession of a feather and it was now glowing a strange shade of violet. "Ha! Mission Accomplished!"

"What-?" I meant to continue with a question and a sharp retort but there was a flash of bright light and I was momentarily stunned. The next thing I knew, the world was black and magic was heavy in the air.

"_Isn't that right, Krad?" _A voice called, and I looked up, blinking. There was someone there!

"Krad!" A horrified cry pierced through the darkness, and I knew only too well who it belonged to.

I took a step back, meaning to race away from Dark, and who I now identified as my copy, but ran into an unforeseen obstacle. The other Dark had not left my side after we had been transported here and now, he had a firm hold on me, preventing me from fleeing.

"_Sorry kid, but you're not going anywhere! The great Phantom Thief Dark Mousy never lets a target escape._" A toothy grin.

"Let him go!" My Dark howled, and I could suddenly make him out in the darkness, forcibly being restrained by my copy.

"_Good work Dark. It seems you are not as useless as I once thought._" The other Krad drawled and the winged Dark smirked.

"_At your service! Now are we going to give this a shot or what_?"

"_Very well_."

And suddenly, I was pulled away from my captor and closer and closer to Dark. I struggled, unwilling to be close to him, but the magic was too strong. We were bound together-no doubt with magical rope –and the two winged figures suddenly disappeared as if from thin air.

"Damn it." I hissed, pointedly moving as far away from Dark as I could. I refused to make eye contact. And for once, he was silent.

**Dark's POV**

After his initial curse, Krad stayed silent besides me, and I mirrored him, unable to come up with something to say to him. Even if I had, he probably wouldn't have listened. However, I couldn't help stroking Krad's long golden hair in an effort to comfort him.

I had no idea what our winged copies were planning but I was sure it wasn't anything good. Besides which, if we were going to die, I wanted to be at least on moderately good terms with Krad. I'd never forgive myself if I died knowing that he hated me and I hadn't even tried to repair our damaged relationship.

Just seeing him and being able to touch his hair, something he was VERY protective of, was like a blessing. My eyes slipped close, and humming, I continued to stroke his hair.

"Will you stop that!" he snapped, face still turned away from me. Well, so much for that….

I stopped humming, but continued to run my fingers through his hair, almost afraid he would disappear. "Do you still hate me?" I asked, clinging to that hope that Krad would reply that no, he loved me with all his heart.

"Yes." Krad answered, blunt as ever. "And I always will."

"Why? What did I do? I'll never do it again, I'll do anything. Please…" I begged. I felt like a loser, practically groveling for his attentions and I suddenly realized my behavior was exactly the way Ria had acted when I had broken up with her. I shivered, and hoped that she had moved on. _How many hearts could I possibly break in one day? _I felt sick.

Krad finally faced me, golden eyes swirling with emotion. "I don't understand…" he choked. "Why go to the effort of pretending to love me, when it's clear you love that _girl, _Ria."

"Damn it Krad! I do love you."

"I don't believe you!" Krad snapped. "I don't trust you."

'If only there was a way to prove to him that I was telling the truth!' I thought, cursing. _Wait…._ "Krad! Reestablish the bond."

"What?"

"If you do, you can just feel what I'm feeling. No lies."

Krad looked suspicious for a minute, but seemed to ponder the plan and find it up to his standards. Slowly, as if frightened of what he'd find, Krad allowed the bond between us to flow again.

Immediately, I thought of him. Brought him into my mind and thought of all that he meant to me. I met his eyes, daring him to tell me that my love for him was not truly genuine.

I could tell he felt it, the emotion that was streaming through her bond. And then, he bit his lip and relaxed, gently falling into my lap. I grinned, continuing to play with his hair. "She kissed me." I explained. "I was telling her that we were breaking up and she refused to accept it."

"Hn. Do you break the heart of everyone you date?" Krad asked. I was hurt, and then realized he was joking.

I grinned in response. "Maybe."

Krad rolled his eyes at me. "Honestly Dark, I have no idea how I put up with you."

My's grin widened. "Oh, but you do it so well!"

Krad just sighed in annoyance. "Why don't you be productive and think of a way to get us out of here!"

"Sorry, but I think these ropes are magical. I don't think there is any way to break them." My voice sounded hopeless even in my ears.

Krad growled in frustration, proving my point by searching for a weakness in the rope and finding none. "Well, do we just sit here and wait to die?!"

"_Die? What a silly assumption. After all, you can't _truly _die." _The other Krad was back, accompanied by the winged Dark.

"What do you mean?" I asked, subtly shifting Krad a little behind me.

"_You are, after all, manifestations of Dark and I's magic. If you are killed you would simply become part of us again."_

"How do you know that is true?!" Krad spat. "We have just as much of a life as you!"

"_Would you like to test my theory? I'm sure that can be arranged." _The other Krad smirked, and I felt a shiver run down my spine as his gaze met mine. "_You friend Dark will be a perfect experiment."_

"Don't touch him!" Krad hissed, golden eyes flashing with rage.

"_Attached are we? Hn. Well then, would you rather it be you?"_

My heart stopped. "No. Please don't!" I cried, shoving Krad behind me. "If you want at him, you have to kill me first."

The other Dark looked pained. "_Krad, do we really have to do this? We can just let them live out their lives…."_

"_Nonsense!" _The winged Krad snapped. "_You know full well we'd spent decades in this rat hole. No, it must be done now."_

Dark's wings flared. "_They're only human!"_

"_It does not matter!"_

I was content to let them banter, forcing Krad to stay behind me despite his protests. Finally, they seemed to have come to an agreement.

"_Very well…I will allow you the luxury of living one last day. Feel free to wander, but know that there is no exit from this place. And without you in it, your world has ceased to exist. Even if you wanted to, you could never return to the life you once had."_


	11. Chapter 11

**Dark's POV**

What would you do with your last day alive? It was a depressing thought, but I refused to let it get to me. I was determined to enjoy it, even if I was frightened at the concept. Was it really true what the winged version of Krad had told us?

Was our world really destroyed? When we died, would we really become a part of our copies? I couldn't bear the thought of fighting Krad-ever. Krad was in a daze the entire night and I had to shake him hard, for him to recognize my presence.

His eyes still had a glazed look to them, and despite my efforts, he only said one or two words at a time. I supposed this was his way of reacting and accepting the information, but I didn't want my last day alive to be spent hanging out with a zoned out version of Krad.

"Krad?" I asked. "Are you alright?"

"Huh?" he mumbled, glazed golden orbs meeting mine for a second. "I'm fine Dark."

"Krad! Snap out of it. You've been like this all night and this morning."

"Dark." Krad sighed, his voice hollow and dead. "We're going to die."

"We'll be fine Krad. You'll see!"

"Don't lie to me Dark," he replied. His lifeless responses were really starting to creep me out.

"Fine then. If we are going to die, I want to spend it with you. I want to hang out with you. Come on, lighten up a little."

"Lighten up?!" Suddenly, Krad was furious. "Dark we are about to be killed by masochistic angels in a strange other dimension full of nothingness. How could I possibly 'lighten up a little?!'"

Now I was getting angry. It had been quite a strain handling this zombie Krad for hours. "Forget it Krad. Do what you want. I can't be mad at you the day before we die, if that's what's going to happen."

"Damn it Dark, that is what's going to happen! Can't you see? My bastard copy is ruthless, heartless. He has no qualms about killing us. And I can't handle this. I don't want to die and the last thing I want it to hurt you."

"Just relax. What happens happens. We can't change that."

"How can you be so calm about this?!" Krad snapped, golden eyes filled with rage. But I could see the fear hidden behind his gaze and projected to me in waves through our newly established bond.

"Come here." I said softly, and pulled him to me, gently stroking his hair. "We'll be alright. Just try to enjoy today, alright?"

And Krad was sobbing and cursing and trying to bury his head in my shoulder. "God! Why did this have to happen to us?! What did we do to deserve this?!"

"Shh….we're alright." I kept whispering soothing words to him, gently running my hands through his hair and rubbing his back. I felt silly and I wasn't sure if my attempt to comfort him was working, but I couldn't just sit back and watch him in pain.

Krad was scrubbing angrily at his face and I caught him mumbling something about being weak. Concerned, I looked him over, wondering if he was sick. But he seemed to fine, and I didn't feel a fever when my hand discreetly brushed his forehead.

'He was talking about the tears,' I realized. 'He thought he was being weak because he was displaying his emotions.'

"Krad, look at me." I pleaded, and gently tilted his head upwards. "Krad, crying isn't a crime. It's okay to let your emotions out."

Krad bit his lip, nodded, and slowly detached himself from my embrace. I let him go, carefully watching amber orbs and trying to determine if he was in danger of having a fit. His emotions were all over the place through our bond.

"Let's just walk, alright?" I suggested, taking his hand.

He nodded, and followed me as we trudged along in the darkness. I wished the ice cream place was here. That's where I would have taken him, had we been in our world. I sighed bitterly. It was pretty hard to enjoy our last day if all we had to do was talk and walk. But I was determined to spend my last few hours having fun-and for me, that meant being with Krad.

**Krad's POV**

Our last day….it was an unsettling concept. So many things lost. So many places I couldn't go and things I couldn't do.

I had never gotten the chance to see an opera. Dark bought us tickets to one because I had expressed interest, even though I knew he would probably had fallen asleep as soon as the curtain opened. I realized with a pang of sorrow, that I would never be able to see Dark wolfing down waffles in the morning or run out the door, cursing about being late.

God, why had I wasted so much time? I felt like an idiot now, and longed to go back and relive it all again. Maybe if I had been with Dark when, presumably, the other Dark had taken over, I might have been able to do something. Maybe I could have brought him back.

But it was pointless to linger on the past; already my heart was aching with the sorrow of it all. I skidded to a halt, and Dark looked back at me, concerned.

"Are you alright?" he asked, lightly stroking my hand.

"I'm sorry." I said softly. "I've been selfish."

"No!" Dark denied, shaking his head so hard I feared it was going to fly off.

I laughed at the image and he grinned. I could tell he had no idea why I was laughing but I supposed he was just glad to see I was out of that depressed stupor.

I hugged him to me, and he placed feather light kisses along the side of my face. "You're beautiful." He murmured, meeting my eyes.

I rolled my eyes, and started walking again and Dark, flustered, hurried to catch up.

_Dark watched the two. It seemed that the human Dark had grown tired of just walking and had playfully attacked Krad. Now he was chasing the blonde human around and around and when he finally succeeded in catching up, he pounced on him. _

_At first, Dark had assumed they had gotten into a disagreement, but then he noticed that both were laughing. The human Dark had a big grin on his face, and the human Krad was laughing softly and pushing at the thief._

_It looked like…fun. It made him think, with a pang of sadness of Daisuke. And then, inevitably, he thought of his Krad .If this Krad was his human double, was it just the fact that Krad _wasn't _human that made him so sadistic?_

_Dark felt sorry for the two, watching them. This was their last day left. But somehow, he wished it was his too. They were having more fun then he'd had in what seemed like centuries. And if this plan failed, Dark would remain with his sadistic Krad inside the Black Wings, most likely forever._

_Lucky was the word that came to mind. 'If you're a human, you're lucky. You don't have to deal with all this crap. Even Daisuke and Hiwatari never had to deal with quite as much as Krad and I have.' Dark thought to himself, sighing in half longing. _

_And then it came to him. He didn't want to kill them. He didn't want these humans to die. He had nothing against humans and besides, they hadn't done anything wrong. But what could he do? _

_Although he regretted having to say this, he, the amazing Phantom Thief Dark Mousy was stumped. There was no where he could send them, no way to save them. 'I guess I'll just make their deaths as painless as possible…' Dark sighed._

**Dark's POV**

It was impossible to know what time it was in the Black Wings because everything was black. But somehow, Krad and I could both feel our time winding to an end. Krad was exhausted I could tell, but he refused to sleep.

"Dark if this is to be my last day alive, I won't need sleep anyways," he reasoned and I sighed and didn't argue.

There was this feeling of numbness. At first, I was terrified, and Krad was jumpy. Now, we just walked. I couldn't even tell how far we had walked but I knew we had been moving for a long time. Yet my feet didn't ache. I thought about our fate from time to time, but it was old news now. There was nothing we could do.

Krad's eyes flashed and I felt him tense up through our bond. "Can't you leave us alone?"

"_I was…interested_," the other Krad replied. "_It is always fun to watch human reactions to impending death_."

"Oh yeah, totally fascinating. Do it every day." I mumbled under my breath, and Krad hit me in warning.

"_Hn. It seems the human Dark has not lost his spark. And how about you, my copy? Are you frightened?_"

"I refuse to show fear in front of you." Krad snapped, eyes blazing. Okay, that was cool.

The winged Krad laughed. "_Ah, you are both so interesting. It's a pity I'll have to kill you. Well, I'll leave you to enjoy your last few hours." _And he took off.

Then, I saw Krad bend to pick something up.

"What is that?" I asked, trying to see what he had grabbed.

"He left a feather." Krad replied, twirling it between his fingers.

"Maybe you can use it to get home!" I cried, but all attempts were failures. Our momentary hope was crushed yet again.

But Krad kept the feather with him and continued to play with it. I had an empty necklace chain around my neck, so I took it off and handed it to him. Somehow, he attached the feather and wore it like a necklace. I couldn't understand his fascination with the trinket, but I supposed I would be just as interested in one of my own copy's feathers. My back itched hard at the thought.

"Dark." Krad's voice brought my musings to a halt. "Why do you suppose we can do magic. We're human, yet we are able to form bonds and such."

I shook my head. "I'm not sure. It's probably because of the copies. If we are really made of their magic, then maybe that's where we got that power from."

"Hn. I was just wondering how far we would be able to go."

"Well, you can try. You've always been the best at the bond thing."

There was silence but Krad made no move to try any magic. "Dark…" he mumbled and I looked up.

"What?"

"I think that, when the time comes, we should sever our bond."

"What?!"

"I know that you will attempt to protect me and get yourself killed first. If this occurs Dark, I will be able to feel all your pain and suffering through our bond. I am not sure I could handle it."

I shook my head. "I'm sorry Krad but we need to stick together. I want us connected, I want us bonded when we die. My greatest fear is losing you, and maybe if we're bonded, we'll see each other in another life."

Krad rolled his eyes. "You know that impossible. We will just return to our copies when we die. There is no chance of another life for us."

"Just humor me, please…" I begged. I had no idea why this was so important, but the thought of disconnecting the bond again made my heart ache.

"Alright."

**Krad's POV**

After that was settled, we continued walking. I got bored with it after a while and so Dark suggested we play a game. He told me that I should tell him things he didn't know about me and he would do the same.

I could tell he wouldn't like the things I would tell him, but I agreed to play anyways. The first thing he told me was that when he was little, he used to be a bad seed.

"I was pretty nasty to other people, rebellious and such. My parents were never around and when they were they were so busy they ignored me so I felt like I could do whatever I wanted. But deep inside, I wanted them to notice me, so I went out of my way to make trouble for them so that they would notice me."

" But even that didn't work. That's when I thought about suicide. Around that time, was when I met Daire and Emiko. They were literally lifesavers."

I blinked. I hadn't realized Dark had been in that much pain. I had been envious of his "Mother-son" relationship with Emiko and the way he and Daire got along so well. Now I saw in between the lines.

I tried to think of something I could tell him, something I hadn't told him yet. "I…I used to have a brother. I was so young I've forgotten his name. He was cute though and I loved him, but Dad killed him in one of his drunken rages. When he found out, he didn't even feel remorse. His death was like a bullet to my mother. She pleaded with him to stop drinking, but he didn't listen."

Dark nodded, and seemed to soak up the information. "Now something happy," Dark decided. "This is getting really depressing. "Let's see…one of the best memories I have is when Daire and I were little. Daire and I had just come back from a trip from an amusement park. I blamed it on exhaustion at the time, and that's probably what it was but he called me "brother" for the first time."

Dark looked pained, and I remembered he wouldn't be seeing his makeshift family or friends again. I had nothing to lose, but Dark was different. I felt incredibly guilty. If I hadn't dragged him into this mess, he would still have family had friends. I had torn him away from them for my own selfish desires. If only I had stayed away, Dark would have lived a normal life.

Suddenly, amethyst orbs were boring into my head. "Stop that. It's not your fault so don't feel guilty. I _chose _to get involved." I realized he must have picked up on what I was feeling through our bond. I would have to be careful about that.

Now, I had to think of something happy. An impossible task. "The only thing happy that has ever happened to me was finding you Dark." I muttered, blushing. "I love you." And it was true. My life had been a living hell before I had come across the crazy purple-haired boy standing next to me.

"_Now that's sweet, quite the opposite of what my Krad would say, really." _I hadn't even noticed the other Dark appear behind us. Must be a thief thing.

"What do you want," Dark narrowed his eyes at his winged counterpart. "This is a private conversation."

"_I'm not here to kill you if that's what you're thinking. I just wanted to say 'sorry' in advance."_

"For what, I may ask?" I was confused. Why was he apologizing?

"_I don't want to kill you two. I actually have a lot of human friends. But Krad spoke the truth when he said that without you two in it, your world has ceased to exist. I can't send you back even if I had wanted to."_

"Then why are you here?" Dark asked. I could tell he was a little confused. "What the heck is your motive?"

"_I'm going to try to convince Krad to spare you, but no one, especially not me, convinces Krad of anything once he's made up your mind. And his magic is stronger than mine, even if I protected you now, he'll get you at one point. So, I'm sorry. I can't protect you."_

I snorted. "Well, thanks for the optimistic news. Now can we get back to our conversation?"

A cold laugh from behind us. "_I'm afraid you're out of time."_


	12. Chapter 12

"_Dark." A statement of fact, not a question. _

'_How the hell did he know I was behind him? He _must _have eyes in the back of his head.' Dark thought then coughed. "Uh…so…"_

"_What is it Dark? I don't have all day."_

"_Krad…I…you used to love reason, you used to love common sense. Please, you have to see reason here."_

"_Dark. Those days are past. And they_ need_ to die so we may fulfill our plans."_

"_God Krad! I know you have a heart in there! Give them a chance. Stop being selfish for once!"_

_Krad whirled, eyes flashing with rage._

_. 'Maybe not the most tactical approach. He always was the better of the two of us at this…' Dark thought to himself, cursing under his breath. _

"_Dark I don't understand. Don't you wish to see your precious wing-master again? Why do you not jump at the chance to find him again?"_

"_Because it involves taking innocent lives. These kids didn't mean to get involved."_

"_Dark these are not humans!" Krad snapped. "They are our magic, nothing more. They have no lives. They shouldn't even have had one to begin with."_

"_And what about us, huh? Do we have lives? We don't' fit in anywhere and we were never meant to be either. If all had gone according to plan, we would have been one."_

"…_But all didn't going according to plan. For the Black Wings or for us. But that doesn't matter. What does matter is getting out of here, Mousy!"_

"_Does it matter so much that we have to kill two uninvolved beings?"_

"_What is with you and your attachment to these worthless creatures?"_

"_Because they're innocent. Like we were once…" Dark seemed to be lost in memories of his past, his face twisting into a tiny smile. _

_Krad looked pained, closing his golden eyes and squeezing his fist so hard, blood trickled down his hand. "We can never return to those days Dark. We must continue to live and not dwell on the past."_

**Dark's POV**

The winged Krad's voice cut through the air like a knife. "_I'm afraid you're out of time."_

Out of time? Was this it? Had we really just spent our last happy moments? "Well then, get on with it!" I cried, sounding much more carefree and brave then I felt. I willed my legs not to shake. "Let's go! Kill me right now."

I heard Krad shift behind me and hiss my name in warning. "Dark, don't make him angrier than he already is!" I felt hands tighten on the back of my jacket and realized that Krad was _terrified. _Subtly, I detached his hand from my jacket and squeezed it.

The winged Krad seemed to find my apparent willingness to die funny. "_Humans can be so entertaining_."

"_Just get on with it Krad_." My magical copy muttered under his breath. "_Stop torturing them_."

"_Hn, very well. But who to kill first?"_

I felt Krad shift behind me and then, "Kill Dark first."

Huh? What? What had happened to 'I love you'?

"Kill him first so that he doesn't have to see death. I've seen it before and I can handle it better than he can." By the time he had finished, his voice had dropped to a whisper, and, looking over my shoulder at him, his eyes were sharp with pain.

I blinked. Oh….he was protecting me. Wait a minute! I'm supposed to be protecting him!

"Krad, stop it! I don't want you to be in pain either!" I whispered to him, squeezing his hand hard.

"Dark, you don't know what you're talking about. Seeing someone you are close to killed is no laughing matter." He hissed back.

"_Arguing about who dies first. How…quaint." _ The winged Krad drawled. _"Well, then, I suppose I will have to settle that argument for you."_

Krad's grip on my fingers was like iron and I had to bite my lip to keep from crying out in pain and fear. The robed Krad was sauntering towards us and his eyes flickered between us slowly, as if choosing a calf for slaughter.

My copy stood a ways away, violet eyes hidden under the shadows. 'Yeah, lot of help you are.' I thought to myself and glared at him. I think he noticed my look, because I saw him cringe.

I flinched and Krad gripped my hand even tighter as with a sadistic grin, the winged Krad began to build golden magic in his palms. I watched, half frightened and half enthralled, wondering at the beauty of the magic that was to kill us.

When the winged Krad raised the magic above his head, I felt Krad press against me, and I could feel his hand was clammy and shaky in my grasp. Heart beating incredibly fast, I tried to sooth him over our bond and not leak just how frightened I was.

"_Stop!" _A hoarse cry split the tense silence around us and all of a sudden, the winged Dark was in front of us shielding us with huge black wings. "_Krad, please! Think about this rationally!"_

"_Get out of my way Dark or I will be forced to kill you as well." _ The other Krad snarled.

My heart was in my mouth, and I could feel Krad trembling through our linked hands. What the hell was going on?

"_I'm afraid I can't do that. Krad, can't you just let them live? They'll die eventually!"_

"_Dark, I have spent far too long in this rat hole already. I cannot wait 80 plus years for these worthless beings to drop off. And think Dark, if we do that, you will probably never see your precious wing-master again. He will be dead or dying when we return if we delay that long." _

I saw the magical Dark flinch, but he made no move to step out of the way. "_There must be another way. Krad, please…"_

"_Ha! You're just a weakling, associating yourself with those fragile creatures. You're no better than a human infant!" The other Krad snarled, golden eyes glowing with rage._

I wasn't sure what was going on, but I pressed closer to Krad, gently stroking his hand with my thumb and attempted to calm both of us down. His emotions were still running wild through our bond, but he seemed to be calming a little now that death wasn't quite as eminent.

"_This is all your fault!" _The other Krad was shouting now, and frightened, Krad stumbled backwards, taking me with him. "_This feud, our sealing, all your fault!"_

Our savior was cringing, and from what I could tell, he looked pained. "_Look, Krad, I'm sorry, alright. But there's nothing we can do about that now."_

The winged Krad seemed to be calming down but I wasn't fooled. His eyes were still filled with a maddened rage. I couldn't look away. How this enraged demon and my Krad were even remotely similar I would never understand.

If I hadn't been pondering this lack of similarity, I would have seen the magical Krad's eyes gleam and the spark of magic leap into his hands.

"_Krad don't!"_

"KRAD!"

**Krad's POV**

It went too fast. I couldn't move, couldn't breathe. In fact, I didn't even see the magic strike me at all. Then there was agony. It was like nothing I'd ever experienced before. My entire body felt like it was on fire. My lungs, my limbs, my chest; were burning. I could faintly hear someone screaming, and then realized that it was my own voice.

I thought I could hear Dark's voice too but what he was saying I had no idea. The strange thing, I decided, was that I was not already dead. I had thought death would be instantaneous, but I should have known it wouldn't be that easy.

Just like in the movies, I could see my life flashing before my eyes. The only happy memories I had were ones of Dark and I clung to those like a drowning man clutches to a life preserver.

_"Uh I'm Dark. Dark Mousy. "_

"_But…you're hurt. Stay in here, just for today."_

_"__Your hair…It looks good down."_

_"So, does that mean we're friends?"_

_"Hey, your laugh is cute. Why don't you use it more often?"_

_You're so cute…"_

_"Shh…Krad, it's alright. I'm here and I'm going to get you all fixed up okay?"_

"_Did you ever think for a second that I would ever let you kill yourself? That I could even __think__ of surviving without you?"_

_"If you want at him, you have to kill me first."_

_"I love you,"_

But at the same time, I shoved these memories away, because they only brought me pain now. I'd never see Dark again. I had long ago lost the ability to see anything, my vision was black. And I could only faintly hear Dark at the edge of my consciousness.

But for some reason, I didn't feel ready. I didn't want to die. I thought I had prepared myself in the time that we had before my copy had attacked. I wanted to see Dark again, wanted to talk with him and laugh with him.

It wasn't fair. Wasn't fair at all. We had planned to do so much and we would have had so much fun. Why was it that just when I was beginning to enjoy life for the first time, my heart was ripped apart?

And then I noticed. I noticed that I didn't feel any pain anymore. Was this heaven? No, it couldn't be. Because somewhere in the back of my mind I heard Dark screaming, the kind of scream that tears at your soul. Whether he was screaming because he was in agony as well or crying in anguish at my approaching demise, I couldn't say.

It didn't matter anyway, because Dark would be joining me soon. At least in death. I was sure Satan had a place set aside for me in hell, but Dark didn't deserve to go to such a place. No, he was sure to dwell in heaven, and that is where I wanted him to stay.

The pain suddenly came back full force. I was unable to tell if my attempts to stop myself from screaming worked because I feared I had lost the ability to hear anything. I fought it, I clung to life. But in the end, it wasn't enough and I felt myself slipping away…

Dark….

_Krad was panting from exertion, knowing he shouldn't have wasted so much magic on those repulsive creatures that had taken on the forms of more perfect beings. But as the being that had its only likeness faded away, he felt magical energy flood him in a wave. Grinning, he let it wash over him and felt through the small bond with the thief that Dark was experiencing the same rush. _

"_Now. We must follow through Dark. It happens now."_

"_Now…?" Dark's voice was hollow, bleak. Krad couldn't help grimacing at the dead look on the thief's face._

"_Now, while our powers are heightened. You chant and I will leak my powers to you." Krad preferred it this way, because it bound the thief to the spell, and if it backfired, Krad would be free to remove himself from the spell If he chose. _

_Krad knew that Dark was aware of this fact, but for some reason beyond the golden demon's comprehension, the thief agreed with a nod and pulling out a feather, began to chant. _

_They had weaved the spell together. It called for extremely powerful magic, but if all went according to plan, the spell would break the seal on the Black Wings. Once broken, it could never be re-sealed and the piece would die. This only benefited Krad, who had no wish to be imprisoned here ever again. _

"_Krad!" Dark hissed through their bond, and Krad realized that he had not been leaking energy to the thief and that the spell was starting to weaken. Quickly but not all at once so the flow of the spell would not be broken, Krad began giving his own magic to fuel the spell. _

_The drop of energy was devastating and for the first time, Krad questioned his plan. What if this fails? But then, the hunter had little to live for any way. It was only his quest to kill Dark and the Niwa's and a base instinct to survive that had kept him going all these years. Krad narrowed his eyes, and let more energy stream into the spell. He wouldn't be dying now, not when freedom was only moments away. _

_And then, just as Krad hoped, the darkness of the Black Wings began to drain away to be replaced by light, color, objects. Dark had apparently pictured the Niwa home, and as colors bled across the black like paint on a canvas, Krad took it all in hunger. Color, it had been so long. Now, everything seemed vibrant and bright; his eyes drank everything in the house in greedily. _

_He looked to the thief besides him and, just as the living room of the Niwa home came into focus and the blackness faded completely, the thief swayed, and knees buckling, tumbled to the floor. Krad realized in the wonder of seeing color again he had once again neglected to sustain the spell, forcing Dark to give more of his energy._

_Krad was exhausted true, and he fell to his knees as well, but he had just enough energy to grumble about "owing me" and press a gloved finger to the thief's back. He watched in detachment as golden magic flowed into the thief._

_Just as Krad reached the breaking point, Dark stirred. The thief's violet eyes, still tinged with exhaustion, met his and there was relief and thanks in his gaze. Krad just nodded curtly and wondered why the hell he had bothered to heal the thief in the first place. _

_They were now outside the Black Wings and if Dark was killed, he could still have some entertainment. Suddenly, Krad realized that they had not returned to their respective tamers. He felt for Satoshi-sama but only found a great emptiness. _

"_Dark, is the Niwa brat with you?" Krad asked. Dark frowned in concentration, and a second later, shook his head. _

"_What does it mean?"_

"_What does it matter?" Krad cried, leaping to his feet. "We're free. We have our own forms and can do as we please!" Hysterical laughter bubbled from the hunter's lips. _

"_Get down!" Dark hissed at the sound of footsteps and the two angels quickly whispered a spell of camouflage, melting into the couch behind them._

_A few seconds later, Daisuke Niwa tumbled down the stairs, and looked around. " I swear I heard something…" he murmured then shrugged and trudged back upstairs. _

_Krad released the spell and Dark mimicked him. But strangely, the thief seemed to be distant and shocked, unlike the ecstatic reaction Krad had pictured. _

"_Dark, what is wrong with you?" Krad snapped, waving a gloved hand in front of his counterpart's face._

"_Daisuke…He's changed."_

_Krad frowned and thought back to the Daisuke he remembered seeing through Satoshi-sama's eyes and the brat he'd seen just now. Perhaps there was something different about him, but the blonde couldn't put his finger on it…_

"_He's…older. His voice is deeper He's taller. He's more…grownup." The thief seemed to be in a serious state of shock._

"_Wait…how much older?" Krad questioned, suddenly concerned._

_There was a scramble to find a calendar, and with shock, the angels discovered that they had been gone far longer that they had originally surmised. _

"_Daisuke. He's eighteen!" Dark whispered. _

_They had been trapped in the Black Wings for four years. _

AN: Hey everyone! Thanks so much for waiting. Thank you for your support everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	13. Chapter 13

AN: To all my readers. I am SO sorry for the long wait. Writers block combined with a busy summer have forced me to wait far too long to finish this chapter. I apologize for the wait, and know that the next chapter is in the works. I hope that this chapter is worth the wait.

_They had been trapped in the Black Wings for four years._

**Dark's POV**

Dark's eyes looked glazed over in shock. Krad just huffed and snarled. "It was your fault we were trapped for so long."

The blonde shook his head in annoyance as he watched the thief run up the stairs in a daze. "Hn. This is strange. Why have we not merged with our hosts again?"

Dark shook his head and continued stumbling up the stairs. "I have to see Daisuke." He mumbled, disbelief coloring his tone.

"Mom is that you? How did shopping go?" Daisuke's voice, much deeper than Dark remembered, met him as he reached the top of the staircase.

What would Daisuke think of him after all this time? Would he welcome him back? Or would the 18 year old man that had replaced the sweet and innocent Daisuke he remembered hate and despise him or worse, not remember him at all?

Feeling awkward and unsure, Dark didn't reply and the thief stopped walking right outside Daisuke's door.

"Mom?" Daisuke asked again and opened the door.

Dark froze, violet eyes widening.

There was a pregnant pause and then-"Dark!"

Dark flinched, and then realized that Daisuke's exclamation didn't sound angry. And that the red head had now latched his arms around him in a tight hug.

"Is it really you?" Daisuke mumbled against his chest, wide crimson eyes as innocent and caring as the thief remembered. "I'm not dreaming again?"

"Yeah, it's me. Sorry to be away so long Dai."

"I missed you!" Daisuke sobbed, his eyes filling with tears and then Dark felt tears running down his cheeks to mirror his former host's. And they clung to each other like drowning men because in the brief time they'd known each other, they'd become almost like brothers.

**Krad's POV**

Krad watched the heartfelt scene from the bottom of the staircase, unblinking golden eyes focusing on the tears pooling in the thief's violet eyes. A pang of jealously swept through him, but he crushed it. Now was not the time to grow weak and wish he had been the one being squeezed to death by someone loving and caring.

The blond turned swiftly, and making up his mind, slipped out the window. Idly, he wondered if he would be able to alter the world around him much like he had done in the Black Wings, but he perished the thought, remembering the annoyance of having to deal with the two copies he had created.

They had been irritating, and the most frightening thing was, the homicidal angel actually envied them. Even the copy of himself had experienced love and affection. The white winged artwork shook his head, as if to clear the unwanted thoughts from his head. 'I'm glad I killed that despicable human first. Making me feel all these ridiculous human emotions…'

After flying around for what seemed to be a few hours, Krad was alarmed to find that his magic was getting dangerously low. 'I should find Satoshi-sama. No doubt we need to re-establish our bond. I wonder how the boy has changed since we last met.'

When Krad made it to his ex-tamer's apartment, he searched the place, but found it decidedly empty. The unique magic of Satoshi was everywhere but Krad was unnerved that he had been unable to sense the absence of the boy from the apartment until he had thoroughly searched the place.

Usually, his connection to his tamer's magic was so strong; he would have been able to tell the boy was not in the apartment immediately. Even more worrying, was that the Niwa's magic was also present and it seemed as if the both of them had left at the same time.

But that could only mean that the Niwa had led his tamer somewhere. Growling in frustration and hatred, Krad took off towards the Niwa's place again, determined to find the young police commander. 'As much as I hate to admit it, access to my own body is most likely temporary. I will need to re-bond to Satoshi-sama quickly, before my magic is completely drained.'

Krad landed softly, brushing water droplets from the now pouring rain from his wings and folded them across his back. He stalked forward, intending on searching out the Niwa, but managed to bump into a rather flustered Dark instead.

Dark's violet eyes were wide, and he had his real wings out instead of using his despicable familiar. Krad could tell something had shocked him. But as soon as the thief locked eyes with Krad, he seemed to calm down, and his ruffled black feathers melted back into his skin.

"There you are! Geez, don't go wondering off. Satoshi's here."

"Why is Satoshi-sama with you Niwas?" Krad asked, raising a delicate blond eyebrow and frowning in distaste. Your wing master's magical presence was all over his apartment."

Dark shrugged. "It's not my problem. Ask your tamer yourself." With a huff, Krad brushed past Dark and into a house, and took in the sight of his Satoshi-sama speaking civilly with the Niwa boy. Their topic of conversation seemed to be the return of their respected curses. The Niwa was the first to notice him, and jumped to his feet. "Krad!"

**Dark's POV**

Dark watched as Daisuke leaped up at the sight of the other magical winged entity. He had warned the kid Krad had returned, and Satoshi, who had apparently been over for a cram session, had also been informed.

However, Dark could tell both of the young men were shocked at the return of the artworks they were sure had been sealed forever. Subtly, Dark shifted violet magic to his fingertips, ready to attack if Krad tried anything funny. The white winged demon was unpredictable, and Dark wasn't sure how he would react to seeing "his everything" again after all this time.

Daisuke of course, was also at risk, which was why the thief was so concerned. He may have grown some, but he still wasn't nearly as powerful at magic as Krad. It had nothing to do with the fact that Krad's body was unstable at the moment and that he would use his energy too quickly. Of course not.

"Satoshi-sama." Krad's voice was level and calm, but Dark could tell his white winged counterpart was unsure of how to approach the now full grown young man before him. Daisuke hadn't changed all that much, but Satoshi's appearance had changed dramatically.

There were no glasses on the bridge of his nose, and his eyes were brighter and less guarded then before. He had grown tall, taller even than Krad and his previously dangerously lean form had filled out some. But the glare he was shooting at Krad, the one that spoke of hatred and fear, was the same.

"I thought you were dead," Satoshi hissed. Dark was sure that if looks could kill, Krad would be in mortal agony right now.

"Satoshi-sama I-"

"Stay away from me Krad. I'm not letting you ruin my life again."

Krad seemed shocked. It seemed the thought that his tamer wouldn't accept him again had not crossed his mind. His golden eyes stared wide and unblinking as if he was frozen, and then nodding as if deciding something, he spread white wings and walking to the window, slipped outside.

With a cry, Dark ran after him. 'That idiot! He needs to reconnect with his tamer or he'll die!' Flipping out of the window after him and spreading his own real wings, Dark hurried after Krad, stopping to yell "I'll be back Dai!" over his shoulder.

'I should be fine,' Dark thought to himself. After informing Daisuke and Satoshi about the events in the Black Wings and Krad's presence, he had re-established the bond between himself and Daisuke. Despite the re-connection, Dark remain outside of his tamer's body for the moment, probably because there was still Krad to worry about. That brief connection, had allowed the thief to refill his magic and get a few moments of much needed rest. 'Krad must be running pretty close to empty.' Dark thought anxiously, and felt along the bond between them to attempt to find the white winged artwork. 'If he dies, I'm going to kill him.'

**Krad's POV**

Krad dipped and soared across the sky, not caring that his rapidly draining magic sources were dwindling. What did it matter when his tamer would not have him back?

The thought had never crossed his mind that his tamer could loathe him so much that he would not accept him, not allow him the reprieve he needed to stay alive. 'Have I really been that cruel to him? Did I not call you "my everything" Satoshi-sama? I tried my best to care for you and protect you, and this is how I am repaid?'

'Why do I feel so hurt? So betrayed? What did I expect. He is a Hikari after all…'

Snarling, the blond picked up his pace, not caring where he was headed, anger clouding his thoughts. Strangely, he also felt afraid, an emotion he was not used to feeling at all. 'Damn it. Without Satoshi-sama, I really am going to die. Even if there are Hikari's after him, if I die now, I will never return to their bloodstream. I hope that idiot Dark perishes with me. We are two halves of a whole after all...'

Krad was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't realize he had picked up an unwanted guest until the thief called out to him.

"Krad! Where are you going?"

The blond looked over his shoulder and sure enough, the thief was behind him, beating powerful dark wings.

"Stay away from me Mousy." Krad hissed over his shoulder.

"Krad please! You're going to die if you don't reconnect with Hiwatari!"

"It does not matter. If he will not have me, then I am content to end my miserable existence. I am only a curse after all."

"Krad stop it! You _have _to stop flying right now! You may have no qualms about killing yourself, but no matter how much you may hate me, I would never wish you dead."

Krad didn't reply, choosing instead to pick up his pace, purposefully using more magic then necessary to send an icy ball of magic towards Dark.

**Dark's POV**

Krad was such an idiot! Didn't he know he was going to get himself killed? Cursing, the thief clutched at his shoulder, which had been too slow to avoid the blast of ice magic the blond had sent his way.

"Damn it Krad!" Dark was tired, hungry, and his shoulder hurt. He considered turning back, but Krad was in danger. As much as he hated to admit it, the thief couldn't leave his enemy to die. 'He really _is _going to kill himself if he doesn't turn back soon.'

Picking up his pace, he fervently hoped that Krad wouldn't get himself into trouble.

The thief finally found his other half curled on top of a bell tower, white wings wrapped around the other's pale form.

"Krad!" Dark called; excited he had found the blond before his rival had completely exhausted his magic.

The white winged demon looked up with bleary and blank golden eyes. "Leave me alone Dark."

"No! I refuse!" Dark bit back and hurried over to where his other half was curled. Krad's wings were ruffling with unease, and his amber orbs were no better, staring at the thief with mistrust and hatred.

"Just leave me to die Mousy. It would solve all your problems."

Dark cursed. The other artwork's energy levels were dangerously low, and already cat like golden eyes were fluttering closed.

'_Daisuke. I need your help!'_ Dark thought to his tamer and was relieved when he immediately received a response. He had almost gotten used to the loneliness of the Black Wings and the emptiness in his head.

'_What can I do Dark?'_

'_Krad's losing energy fast. I need you to get Satoshi over here quick. And we might need some medical assistance too.'_

'_Got it. Is Krad going to be okay Dark?'_

'_I don't know…' _And even though Krad had been his enemy for all of 400 years, Dark sincerely hoped that the blond hunter would, in fact, 'be okay'.

**Krad's POV**

Krad opened bleary amber eyes. 'Where am I?' he thought to himself and grimaced in pain when he tried to get up. Surprisingly, he was not inside Satoshi-sama's form. Instead, he was in a bedroom he did not recognize, most likely in the Niwa home as the stench of their magic was everywhere.

Groaning, he lifted his head and weakly called for his tamer. '_Satoshi-sama?'_

'_Krad. You're awake.'_

'_Yes. Why am I in the Niwa residence?'_

'_They patched you up and re-established our bond. I hope you're happy.'_

'_I'm not.' _Hissing with rage and hatred, Krad got to his feet. "Why couldn't you have just let me die Mousy?"

"Because I have a heart." A voice responded, and a beaming Dark entered the room with a plate of something that Krad identified as human food.

"How did you convince Satoshi-sama to re-establish our bond?"

"It wasn't hard. With you being in that state…well, the commander has a heart too, you know? Seems like you're the only one missing one."

Krad snarled, wishing he had the energy to tear the thief apart. "How _dare_ you."

Dark seemed to realize what he had said, and flinched. "I-I didn't mean that. Here! I brought some food. You've been out for days so I figured you'd be hungry."

The thief gave a sheepish grin and offered the tray of food. Krad grimaced but took the offered food. It seemed to be a breakfast dish, one that Krad's educated brain quickly labeled waffles.

A strange pain struck just then in his chest, and the hunter blamed it on his recent injury. "Thank you." He ground out and dug in, realizing that he was in fact, starving.

The thief grinned, presumably happy that Krad had enjoyed his peace offering and plopped on the bed besides the ravenous blond. "We used to have these all the time remember?"

Krad gave Dark a strange look, but his counterpart seemed to have forgotten what he had said and was playing with something in his coat pocket.

"Oh. One more thing."

Krad looked up from his meal, tilting his head slightly in confusion.

"Well, when Emiko and the others were patching you up, they found this on you." The thief reached into his coat pocket and removed a plain silver necklace chain. Krad frowned as he noted that one of his feathers was attached at the end.

"Where did that come from?" Dark asked, violet eyes meeting amber.

"I don't know." But inside, the blond knew exactly where the trinket had come from-his copy and he loathed the thought that this probably meant something had not gone as planned.


	14. Chapter 14

Hey guys. I went back and reread this chapter as I was working on Chapter 15 and realized I had actually switched from 1st person to 2nd person at one point and made some grammatical errors. So, I went back and switched some stuff. If you didn't notice or don't care, you don't have to re-read, because all plot remains the same. Thanks!

**Dark's POV**

Suddenly, I realized showing him that trinket was a bad idea. I had just realized where it had come from and the fact that it was here made it only too clear that something was amiss. I only hoped Krad didn't realize its significance.

_I saw Krad bend to pick something up._

_"What is that?" I asked, trying to see what he had grabbed._

_"He left a feather." Krad replied, twirling it between his fingers._

_"Maybe you can use it to get home!" I cried, but all attempts were failures. Our momentary hope was crushed yet again._

_But Krad kept the feather with him and continued to play with it. I had an empty necklace chain around my neck, so I took it off and handed it to him. Somehow, he attached the feather and wore it like a necklace. I couldn't understand his fascination with the trinket, but I supposed I would be just as interested in one of my own copy's feathers. _

We fell into a silence. Not the awkward kind, the kind that meant everyone was thinking. Or at least Krad was. I was busy trying not to blow my cover. 'Damn, I knew I should have just left it alone…'

"Dark! What have you done?" Krad snarled, amber eyes glowing with rage. I cringed, realizing I had left my last thought slip through. I was used to having only a shred of a bond with Krad, but our copies had held a stronger one. I had forgotten that aspect would probably transfer to us too. 'Well damn.'

"What are you talking about?" I asked, nervously; hoping, praying, he wouldn't realize what I had done.

But I should have known. Krad was always better at magic then I was anyways. "You! You spineless piece of vermin. I knew I never should have trusted someone so sympathetic towards humans! You used it didn't you? You used the Ogon no inu*!"

_Krad Hikari waited patiently for his prey, hearing the excited cheering and cries of "There he is," and "Oh look! Dark's on the roof!" by the watching humans. Grinning with glee at the approach of his prey, Krad weaved a concealing spell around himself and waited for the thief to enter the room where his current target, the Ogon no inu, was on display . _

_The artwork that Dark aimed to steal tonight was a prime example of the power of even a simple Hikari work. It took the shape of a golden-bronze ring, carefully carved with a weaving Celtic design. There were no precious stones on the artwork, the ingenious design hiding the true power of the piece. _

_The true form of the ring reflected its name-the large golden dog had a large amount of power, and, Krad admitted, that if he was to underestimate the artwork, the furious beast might have an opportunity to best him._

_Krad started at the sound of Dark, approaching the ring, looking triumphant and entirely oblivious to the power before him. But, he at least seemed to pick up on some of the strength of the piece, for he released the ring from its case and began the sealing almost at once. _

_Krad grinned as he spotted the thief frown in concentration and his eyes widen as he realized just what he was dealing with. Krad drew closer and found that Dark was too busy sealing to realize that he was there. At the proximity between them, Dark should have easily been able to sense his counterpart but it seemed all of his energy was reserved for the sealing._

_'Well, it is a powerful work.' Krad mused. 'Dark is probably too weak to handle it correctly.' _

_With perfect timing, Dark let out a curse. Startled, Krad hurriedly retreated, as the artwork cast away Dark's feeble attempt to seal it and appeared before him in its true form. The large dog turned its blood red eyes on its attacker. Anyone else might have thought that Dark was unfased by this change of events but Krad knew the thief only too well; Dark was petrified. _

_The dog snarled and Krad heard Dark curse under his breath. "Be a nice puppy…" The thief was saying to the piece, taking a trembling step away from the dog. "We can't have you hurting the people. Come on now. Uh….sit! Sit, boy!"_

_Krad rolled his eyes at Dark's idiocy. The dog artwork would only take more offence to the domestic commands Dark had used. In his effort to calm the beast, Dark had only made things worse. Snarling, it lunged for the thief, almost managing to snag him before Dark nimbly darted away. Krad's lips turned upward in amusement. _

_But after two hours of observing the fight and seeing Dark getting bloodied and bruised, it suddenly wasn't funny anymore. Dark must have gained three broken ribs and at least a sprained wrist and blood had stained his clothes. The greatest damage though-could be internal- Krad could see blood dripping from the corner of the thief's mouth and it was impossible to tell what might have caused the bleeding. It was a wonder the police hadn't found him, but, Krad reminded himself, the incompetent buffoons couldn't be counted on for anything. They probably believed the thief had already left or never went inside in the first place; no doubt Satoshi-sama had switched out this room's security tape beforehand allowing Krad freedom to pursue Dark. _

_His tamer was currently curled in the back of his mind, asleep. As he had been studying for a Latin test he was taking to 'sharpen up his skills outside of school' for five hours, Krad didn't blame the human child. Satoshi-sama had agreed that this time, Krad was free to pursue the thief himself. This left the white-winged hunter in a terrible predicament. _

_If he helped the thief now, Satoshi-sama would not witness it. He couldn't have the dog destroying the neighboring Hikari works and it wouldn't do to have to fight the beast after it was finished with Mousy. And…there was a lingering feeling that he had to save Dark, an instinct almost, accompanied with a strange warm feeling in his chest which was getting harder and harder to ignore. Perhaps the instinct came from the time where they were one in the Black Wings. _

_Dark's body clattered across the tiles and crumpled like a rag doll. Krad's decision was made for him. He charged up an energy ball and fired it at the artwork just as the dog was going to leap on the still motionless Dark. The dog whirled turning pointy teeth and glittering red eyes on the blond demon. _

"_I do not wish to make you my enemy Ogon no inu, but I will be forced to attack you if you don't abandon your assault on that thief. He is a fool, but I cannot allow you to kill him." Krad addressed the other artwork, letting absolutely no fear escape in his tone._

_The dog growled low in its throat. "And what would you have me do Kokuyoku?" it asked the blonde mentally._

_Krad's eyes narrowed. 'I detest that name. It's something I share with that idiotic thief and something I can never be.' He met the dog's ruby eyes. "Leave him. It is my duty as a hunter to finish him."_

'_Very well." The dog rumbled, and melted back into the ring, leaving Krad alone with his counterpart. Krad hauled the thief into a sitting position, making sure he was breathing. As soon as this was conformed, Krad slipped the ring in his pocket and picked the thief up in his arms._

_Panting, Krad managed to fly with the thief like a dead weight in his grasp. He left him at the Niwa residence after placing the ring on Dark's limp finger, and ringing the doorbell. He took off into the night, watching from afar as the Niwa woman opened the door and took Dark inside._

'_I could have killed him. I could have killed him and I didn't. And I handed over a Hikari work to the thief! What just came over me?'_

**Krad's POV**

Dark flinched, and it seemed that my hypothesis had been correct, as I spotted the ring glittering on the thief's finger.

The Ogon no inu had a unique ability, one that it was famous for and why it was quite so powerful. The Hikari that had created it had recently lost his wife, and grief stricken, did not eat or drink until the ring was finished. He was unable to successfully create an artwork to bring her back from death, so he decided that his wife should live on in him.

Using the power of the ring, he used his own body to revive his wife, resulting in a combination of the two of them. Ever since that has been what the ring has been known for by magic users and artworks alike.

"You didn't-"

"I did. I couldn't save them so….I thought this would help and it still returned our powers to us." Dark was such an idiot. Could he not see the consequences of his actions? Was he such a fool that he was willing to share himself with a human?

"You fool! They may have been similar to us, but their personalities were altered. Who knows how that could affect us?'

Dark bit his lip and I realized that it was _already _affecting him. The Dark I knew was too brash to stop and think about his words.

God, how would that miserable human Krad's personality affect me? Was I really me anymore?

**Dark's POV**

I could tell I had made a mistake. It had been a stupid plan, one concocted in an act of desperation. I had no idea what the details were, and honestly, I was scared shitless. But I couldn't tell Krad that. I had to act like I knew what I had gotten us into.

"Well, I thought you could use a personality change." I replied, a shadow of my usual cockiness.

Krad golden eyes narrowed, and I waited for some sharp remark, but instead hurt tears were rolling down his cheeks. "Damn it Dark. Now look what you've done? Why can't I be angry with you?"

Krad's tears sobered my up fast. This wasn't funny, and, I realized, I had made a huge mistake. "I'm sorry." I murmured, and closed my eyes. "I-I'll find a way to reverse this. I promise."

"No, I'll find a way to reverse this. I would never allow myself to rely on a despicable creature like you for help." Krad snarled, and I grinned, realizing that the old Krad's personality had returned.

"Cool, less work for me."

Emiko was understandably nervous and on edge around Krad, but when the blond demanded she tell him where a computer was, Emiko held her ground until I had convinced her that it would benefit me as well if Krad found what he was searching for.

We ended up using Daisuke's laptop. At first, the red head pestered me, asking when he could do his homework and to be careful not to ruin the keys. But once I summarized the situation for him, Daisuke was quiet in the back of his mind, even offering to miss school so the two artworks had more time to research.

But, it seemed, no matter how long we spent searching, we weren't able to find anything useful. Even the other members of the Niwa household, despite their vast knowledge, had no clue how to reverse the effects of such a powerful artwork without the incantation.

Cursing, Krad nearly broke the laptop before I saved it from certain demise. The blond eventually transformed into his tamer, Satoshi explaining that Krad wanted to check Satoshi's vast library for anything on the Ogon no inu. I agreed, and let Daisuke take over, as I hadn't really wanted to research anyways.

'_That was so boring.'_ I whined to Daisuke.

'_Just wait until you see my homework.'_ Daisuke thought back.

**Krad's POV**

'Satoshi-sama?'

'Krad?'

'Do you hate me?' I could tell that Satoshi-sama was shocked by my question.

_"I thought you were dead," Satoshi hissed._

_"Satoshi-sama I-"_

_"Stay away from me Krad. I'm not letting you ruin my life again."_

'You told me I ruined your life. So, do you hate me?'

There was a pause, and I realized I had been a fool. What else had Satoshi-sama meant? Just because Satoshi-sama was my everything did not mean that he felt the same about me. It would make sense that he would hate me-after all, every tamer before him had as well.

I was a curse a parasite, a-

_'I don't hate you.'_

'_You-'_

'_That doesn't mean I like you, and I still think you are a bastard, but I don't hate you.'_

I let a ghost of a smile light his face. _'I'm glad.'_ So you really are my everything. You are the only one I have who cares for me, which is something even the Ogon no inu's power can't change.

AN: I am so, so, so, so sorry! It never should have taken this long to get this chapter too you. Writer's block combined with brainstorming with where exactly I was going with this idea, are responsible for the lack of posting on my part. If you are reading this, it means that you are still plugging along with this story, despite the wait. Thank you so much. Unfortunately, summer here is coming to an end, meaning you can expect longer waiting times before posts. However, I **will not abandon this story**.

Thank you so much for your patience, and please review!

*****I could be wrong, but I believe this means **the golden dog**. Japanese users, feel free to help me out. I don't know a lick of Japanese. :D


	15. Chapter 15

**Dark's POV**

Things sort of returned to normal after that. I didn't see Krad much because I wasn't stealing and the only time I went to Satoshi's apartment was indirectly, when Daisuke needed to give Satoshi homework or vice versa.

The Ogon no inu remained on my finger but even the consequences of what I had done faded into the background. The only thing that wasn't normal was that I had absolutely nothing to do.

Daisuke had to go to school, so most days we would separate-which we discovered was possible now so long as we weren't separated for long periods of time-and I would hang out at the Niwa house. It wasn't like I hated hanging out with the Niwas but honestly, after a while it was boring.

Daisuke was at school, once again, and as the rest of the Niwas were busy doing other things, I was left alone with no idea what to do with myself.

I flicked on the television, so bored I just pushed a random channel number. The channel selected was playing an old western. It was right in the middle of the climax scene when the hero charges the villain for the first time and knocks him off his horse.

_Krad was smiling at the television, watching as the antagonist went flying off his steed._

_I cleared my throat and he whirled. "Dark!" He looked disgruntled, and he flushed._

_"Hey." I said, plopping down beside him. "Haven't seen this movie in FOREVER! Pretty good though; a classic."_

_Krad raised an eyebrow. "Really? I've never seen it before."_

_"Never? Looks like we're eating here. You haven't gotten to the best part yet!"_

_It was times like these, seeing Krad's eyes light up at the prospect of a home-made dinner and an old Western, that I could forget about the dreams, and the magic and just pretend that all this was real. It was scary to think that one day I would wake up and be my 'other' self. And I would hate Krad. My Krad. How was that possible?_

I flinched at the memory, knowing that it was not my own. I groaned, letting my head fall into my hand. What had I done? I hated Krad. I couldn't-. I shouldn't-

**I didn't hate him.**

The realization hit me hard but somehow, it didn't shake me. Well, of course I didn't.

'Wait a minute!' I thought to myself. 'This guy's been trying to kill you for 400 years. Why wouldn't you hate him?'

The most frightening thing was that I didn't know. I knew that before this whole ordeal with the black wings, I really _had _hated Krad. At least, I thought I had. Everything was blending together and I couldn't make sense of my feelings anymore.

But one thing was for sure, the realization that I couldn't hate Krad had caused a strange reaction. I felt an overwhelming urge to see him.

**Krad's POV**

The empty apartment was as silent as a grave. The sound of the clock ticking away in the kitchen was the only sound I could hear. Satoshi-sama was off at school, no doubt sticking close to the Niwa despite my protests.

He had been reluctant at first to leave me alone, but neither of us were comfortable together as we still weren't sure if we could remain on good terms or not. Satoshi would get irritated with me when I said something in the middle of a lecture, and being in his head all day without speaking was extremely annoying. Plus, both of us knew what they were covering anyways as both of us had been to college before-or at least, I had retained the information my previous tamers had learned in college.

And so, I was alone in my tamer's apartment, absently reading a copy of Shakespeare's _Macbeth. _I was just turning a page when there was a knock on the front door. Shocked at the sudden noise, I jumped from my chair, losing my place in the book in the process. I headed to the front door, irritated at the loss of my page.

Who could be at the door? Satoshi-sama had his own key and no one ever came to Satoshi-sama's apartment, except for the Niwa of course but that was only outside of school. School was still in session so it could be neither of the two. Tilting my head to the side in confusion, I cautiously opened the door, and flinched as vivid violet eyes met mine.

"So you are here!" Dark sounded excited, and energetic, but about what I could discern. Why would he come to see me? Had he found something on the Ogon no inu?

I blinked and decided that whatever he had came to say I should let him into the house-I would fix any damages we might create with my magic so I didn't see why not. I cautiously opened the door wide enough for him to step through and closed it gently behind him.

"What are you doing here Mousy?" I asked. I felt like I should be angry, but instead the only emotion I could feel was confusion. Somehow that irked me.

"Er…I just came to see you." Dark replied, sheepishly turning his gaze to the floor. "I uh…" The rest of his sentence was so soft I couldn't make it out.

"What? Speak up Mousy!"

"I-I don't hate you!" Dark shouted, and then fell back into a chair as if the effort to speak the four words had knocked the wind out of him.

I froze, taking in the meaning of his words. "Y-You don't?" I stammered, and cursed myself for stuttering in front of the thief.

Dark shook his head and suddenly he was relaxed wearing that ridiculous wide grin of his. "I don't know why. You know what; I don't think I've ever hated you."

I took a step back in shock. Dark Mousy didn't hate me? That in itself was a contradiction. And suddenly words were tumbling from my mouth unprompted. "I don't hate you either."

I flushed, realizing what I had said. And how could I say it? Of course I hated him. To say otherwise would be a lie. After all, my main goal for 400 years was to kill Dark, the thief who was after the precious Hikari works. I was a fool. A complete and utter fool. It must be the effects of that blasted ring again. I looked up to correct my previous words and tell the thief that I absolutely despised him.

And then, I realized that Dark's face was only inches from mine. He was staring straight into my eyes with a piercing look. "Do you mean it?" he asked softly, and his breath was warm against my skin.

The door swung open and I promptly shoved Dark away from me, making him collide with the table and slide to the ground. "Ouch! What was that for!" he cried, indignant. "Is that your answer?"

"Krad, why is Dark in my apartment?" Satoshi's voice alerted the thief to the other person currently in the room.

"Oh hey! It's the Commander!" Dark cried, smirking. I was always amazed that Dark could switch his emotions that quickly. Mine were still in turmoil. If Satoshi had not entered the room, what _would _I have told Dark? And could I even decide this now under the influence of the Ogon no inu's power? For all I knew, these emotions and these feeling were not mine.

"He was just leaving." I replied to Satoshi-sama's question, and directed a glare Dark's way. The thief seemed to get the hint and scrambled out the door like a mad man. I knew Dark was just acting by the way he grinned at me through the window as he scampered out of view. I was grateful, because I had no intention of relaying our awkward and confusing conversation to my host.

Luckily, Satoshi was not the inquisitive type, instead taking a seat and calmly asking if I would like to return to my place in his mind. I agreed, as once in my tamer's mind, I was able to wall myself in with my magic, thus keeping Satoshi from asking about my encounter with Dark. I only hoped Satoshi-sama would forget about it if I didn't bring it up.

Unfortunately, I knew that I wouldn't be able to forget it. My mind was whirling, that question still echoing in my brain. Did I really hate Dark?

**Dark's POV**

I was an idiot. What had I been doing? I had barged into the Commander's apartment, looking for my worst enemy. To make matters worse, I had just said and done things I didn't really like to recall. What the hell was I thinking telling him I didn't hate him? And was that even true?

As Daisuke was _still_ at school-he was probably hanging out with the Harada's or something-I had taken to sketching to pass the time. Daisuke was an artist himself, and as he was my tamer I figured I'd give it a shot, and it was sort of relaxing letting the pencil just glide across the paper.

I was sitting in the dining room, staring outside the window. I had decided I needed to work on drawing trees because they were extremely difficult to draw. I grumbled to myself in mild irritation, staring at the leaves on the branch nearly touching the window. Darn it, why are leaves so hard to draw?

I blinked, realizing my hand had still been moving even as I thought. I glanced down at what I had drawn and frowned. Nearly my entire page had been taken up with images of Krad.

_My eyes widened as I looked at my sketch. I had drawn the strange figure from my dream. The one called "Krad." I rubbed it out furiously with my eraser._

…

_I looked down at my paper again and snarled in frustration. I had started drawing Krad again. What was wrong with me? I resumed erasing with a passion, nearly tearing my paper in my haste to erase the way too lifelike face from the paper._

I shook my head, clearing the foreign memory from my head. It seemed that was something the human Dark and I shared, or perhaps it was something I had received from him, this habit of sketching Krad. Whatever the case, I hurriedly erased the drawings as I heard the fumbling of the key in the lock and Daisuke's cry of "I'm home!"

He entered the room cautiously, almost as if he was expecting the traps that used to greet him during his days as a Phantom Thief. I waved to him in welcome and Daisuke smiled. "Hi Dark!"

"Hey Dai." I laughed as he plopped, exhausted, into one of the seats.

"God…Dark you better help me with this homework. Math has been awful!"

I laughed. "Alright, but what's my reward for helping you?"

"Huh? Reward? No fair!"

"Ah but it is fair!" I crowed, triumphant. "I'm helping you with your math."

Daisuke sighed. "What do you want?" he sounded slightly frightened.

"To see Krad." Wait…what?

"What?"

"It was a joke Dai. You know, funny?" I tried to laugh I really did, but my laugh sounded counterfeit. Where had that come from all of a sudden? I just saw the guy a few hours ago.

I shook my head. This was getting a little strange.

"Uh Dark? Are you feeling okay?"

"Huh?" I blinked, and realized I had been zoning. I must have freaked poor Dai out. "I'm fine!" I replied as enthusiastically as I could muster. "Now let's get to that Geometry chapter!"

But as I helped Dai puzzle through areas and memorize postulates, Krad was in the forefront of my mind.

**Krad's POV**

It was irritating how often the thief appeared in my thoughts, even when I was trying my hardest not to think of him. I was still confused as to my feelings towards him-I had always _thought_ I had hated him, but had I really?

I could tell Satoshi-sama was confused by my behavior, but thankfully, the child kept silent. However, his scathing looks were enough to remind me that I should have other things on my mind.

Dark had his job back. The police had received a letter from the thief stating that he had returned and he planned to steal a piece by the name of "The Stormy Sea" at one in the morning. The note had not been forged, because I had been most intrigued at the mention of the thief and so I had studied the note along with my host when the police had shown it to their Commander. Yes, I could recognize Dark's messy scrawl anywhere.

It would be decidedly odd fighting the thief tonight, I decided. We literally hadn't fought like this in years, and with my feelings towards him as conflicted as they were, I felt unprepared and not eager for our meeting.

I was restless, pacing and irritated. I snapped at Satoshi when he attempted to question my behavior, and for this, I felt guilty. However, I was still no closer to an answer, and already the time that Dark was be at the museum was rapidly growing closer. I thoroughly wished I could stay in Satoshi-sama's apartment, safe from conflict in the corner of his mind that belonged to me.

But, I could not abandon my task. I am Krad of the Hikari, and it is my duty to my hosts to protect their children, the artistic fruits of their labor. The thief had already eluded me too often for my liking, and it was time I really was serious and defended the artwork with my life. It would not do to have him seal another work.

But then, my heart wailed, I am also someone else. I am Krad, the teenager who lives with Dark, who enjoys waffles with no syrup and old Western movies. Whose favorite places in the world is a certain ice cream shop with a fountain and Dark's apartment. Who loves one Dark Mousy, kisser extraordinaire.

Somehow these two opposites had mixed together, becoming one and the same. The line between the two was blurred and both were tainted. 'Just who am I?' I wanted to scream, clutching at my head. 'And what do I want?'

**Dark's POV**

I had never been more nervous before a theft in all 400 years of my life! Not even my first theft had been this nerve wracking. I felt sick, and beads of sweet were rolling down my face in rivulets despite the freezing gusts of wind that were desperately trying to blow me away from my destination. And oh, how I wished I could let them!

Everyone was expecting me to get "The Stormy Sea" and I couldn't let them all down, not when the Niwas were so happy to see me again. Daisuke had separated from me for this heist, as the Harada twins-Risa mainly-had dragged him off to watch my re-appearance before the spotlight. Daisuke would be watching me, and I couldn't let him, of all people, down.

'Man up Dark.' I thought to myself. 'It's just like any other theft.' But the words stung, and I knew they were a lie. I dreaded seeing Krad tonight, and yet, I had been longing to see him again all day. I had been all too eager to write the note and happy to hear of a new artwork I could steal, but now, my heart was pounding so hard in my chest I thought I would pass out.

A stormy sea was exactly what my heart felt like at the moment, emotions running wild all over the place. I couldn't understand how I couldn't have a firm grasp on my own feelings. What frightened me was I had _no _idea what I felt or what I wanted.

Last time I had approached Krad, I had acted on instinct, and look at where it had landed me. I had told him something that may or may not have been true. But at the same time, it didn't feel natural to hate Krad. I didn't _want _to hate him.

The strangest thing was that I was even confused about his feelings towards me. He had told me he didn't hate me, but had he spoken the truth? For all I knew it could be a game to him a lie, or maybe it was the influence of the Ogon no inu and the other Krad talking. I didn't know and it was infuriating.

I alighted on the top of the museum's roof, feeling the roar of the crowd beneath me and the humming of the police helicopters above me but without the usual thrill. I made it to my target uninjured, avoiding all traps easily, but it was all routine, lacking the usual excitement and too robotic to contain the usual finesse.

I was surprised to find that instead of hiding and making a dramatic entrance as usual, Krad was just standing near the painting, looking utterly uninterested. Whether he was doing that to conceal his feelings or if he was just extremely bored I couldn't make out, but one thing was for sure. Tonight was going to run very differently from my usual heist.

"Dark Mousy." He greeted me, and it seemed normal enough, but the name lacked its usual edge of malice.

"Hello Krad." I replied, and was surprised to find my voice was calm and friendly sounding, almost as if I was greeting a friend.

"I cannot allow you to steal 'The Stormy Sea' Dark. You are aware of this, yes?"

"Yes." I replied honestly. Why was I so disappointed by his reply? There would never be a day when Krad would give up an artwork willingly.

"Very well." Krad replied. "Are you still determined to steal it?"

"…Yes." I replied, more hesitant than before. "Yes." I said again, almost to convince myself.

"Fine then." Krad replied, and he almost looked sad as he charged me. I quickly evaded his right hook and kicked him hard in the stomach, shoving him hard away from me. He came at me again, this time from the air, and I hurried to meet him. I shoved him upward as he dove towards me, and his eyes widened in surprise. Usually, I would just dodge his attacks, but today for some reason, I was actually getting physical with him. And it had nothing to do with "The Stormy Sea".

We tussled in the air for some time; it could have been a few seconds or a few minutes. But gradually, our movements began to slow and the will to fight left us. We drifted to the ground, confused and at least on my part, unsure as to when this shift had occurred. Had one of us even made the decision to stop fighting?

"I hate this!" Krad snarled, and he punched the museum wall so hard his knuckles were bloodied. "I don't understand!"

And for once, I agreed with him. I didn't understand this either, but still, I wanted to make this easier for him… "Here." While he raged, I had snatched the painting, and now, I stepped towards him, my hands outstretched.

"What?" Krad blinked several times, as if he couldn't believe what his eyes were telling him.

"Take it. I don't want it." I said, and gently floated the painting into his arms with my magic. The painting hadn't been acting up too badly anyway, and I realized, what I had told Krad was the truth. I had no desire to obtain the painting, and I had even less will to fight him.

Krad opened his arms to receive the painting and his long pale fingers grasp firmly around it, almost as if he was afraid it was an illusion.

"Why?" he asked, golden eyes meeting mine.

I couldn't answer him and instead, flew out the museum window, leaving the rival I wasn't sure I hated clutching my target for the night.

Despite his confusion at my 'gift', I had seen relief in Krad's eyes and somehow, I had known that there had been a war going on in Krad's mind, similar to the one raging in mine. It was his sworn duty to protect this art pieces, and yet, he had stopped attacking me. He had told me he didn't hate me.

What in the hell was going on?

When I arrived back at the Niwas they were not pleased to find there was no painting tucked under my arm. Emiko, sympathetic mother she was, told me it was alright, and that I was just a little rusty. Daisuke told me I had made Risa upset and that they had captured me flying away without the painting on the news. Even old Daiki gave me a piercing disapproving look as if to say "What happened to the Phantom Thief?"

I hurried upstairs to the bathroom, and locked the door, refusing to come out even after several rounds of knocking at the door-mostly instigated by Emiko. Even though I was irritated by my family and by my own decision, I didn't regret giving the painting to Krad.

I decided I would have to see him because I needed to know, once and for all, how both of us felt. I couldn't pretend anymore, and I doubted, based on his behavior during the failed theft, he could either.

AN: A long one for you guys to make up somewhat for the news. Chapters will come few and far between after this guys. I'm involved in some really advanced stuff this year in school, and I won't have time to be posting chapters frequently. I will NOT give up on this story or abandon it, but it may be a while before my next chapter.

Thank you to those of you who are reading this for sticking with this story. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Also, thanks to **Sapphiet** for catching a typo!


	16. Chapter 16

AN: Just a quick warning: there is some swearing going on in this one. Also, this chapter is a tad graphic and emotional. Nothing too crazy, just a mentally confused Krad.

**Krad's POV**

My fingers were bleeding. Or more accurately, my knuckles were. I saw the blood running in rivulets down my arm and dripping to the floor. I smashed my fist against the glass again, wincing as I paused to pull a glass splinter from my skin.

"Damn it…" I mumbled, my voice sounding dead, even to my ears. My third punch cracked the glass down the middle with a harsh shattering sound. "I can't even-" Another strike, this one lodging more glass fragments inside my knuckles. 'I can't even understand myself anymore…"

"Damn it!" I swore again and flinched, surprised at the intensity of my voice. And then I was sobbing, and I couldn't stop the salty liquid running down my face. I hadn't cried for hundreds of years-Dark was the emotional one, the drama queen. Yet, here I was tears streaming down my cheeks. Maybe that had changed too.

I was curled in the fetal position, bawling my eyes out. I had barely managed to crawl pitifully to the living room couch. I felt like such a weakling, a fool, but even that didn't stop the tears from coming. For the first time, the white walls of Satoshi-sama's apartment stung, their brightness making me flinch.

The thought that I was just like those walls, a blank slate, made me sob harder. "Oh God…." I wasn't aware I believed in a God, but it came out anyways over and over in a mantra I couldn't stop repeating.

I stopped thinking, I stopped moving, I stopped living. The only thing I could do was stare at the white walls around me and repeat those two words through my tears "Oh God…"

There was a noise, I noticed, a banging sound from nearby. 'The door,' I realized, 'Someone is at the door.' Immediately upon remembering what exactly that meant, I bit my lip, muffling my sobs and forgot to breathe, hoping they would think no one was home. The knocking continued, becoming more persistent.

"Krad? Are you in there?" The one voice I really didn't want to hear at the moment. Just my luck.

Perhaps I should have responded and told him to go away. But I wasn't sure I could trust myself not to start crying in the middle of answering him. And right now, it seemed the only thing that could come out of my mouth was "Oh God…" anyway.

So I stayed silent, praying he'd go away. The knocking paused for a few seconds, and I breathed again, but then with a click, the door sprung open.

I had miscalculated. I had forgotten how good the thief was at his job.

I froze like a deer in headlights, but as soon as our eyes met and I saw confusion-and of all things-pity- in his violet orbs, I fled, racing for Satoshi's room. I knew there was a large window located on the far side of Satoshi-sama's room and he usually left it open. I sprinted for it like a mad man, my wings appearing on instinct. I threw myself over the bed and scrambled for the window, ignoring Dark's cries of "Stop" and "Wait!"

One second I was halfway out the window, the next I was on the floor, my forearms firmly in Dark's grip and my body pinned down by his.

"Why did you run from me Krad?" Dark seemed lost and confused, as if he really didn't understand why I had fled. Wasn't it obvious?

Then, his violet eyes took in my form. I was sure I was a wreck judging by what I had seen in the bathroom mirror and how much I had been crying.

"What have you done to yourself?" Dark's earsplitting cry made me jump. I realized he hadn't been staring at my face; he was looking at my hand. I winced, as in his anger, the hand holding my injured one clenched. I had forgotten about the injury, and I hadn't realized it was still bleeding. My entire hand was soaked with blood and my forearm was streaked with the liquid.

"Nothing," I snapped and snatched my hand out of his grasp.

"It doesn't look like nothing Krad." Right when I didn't want him to be he was observant and serious. Damn that thief.

"I can take care of it myself. You're not a doctor Mousy."

He flinched, and I realized I had said the same thing before-several times in fact. His gaze flickered upwards, and I shut my eyes, unable to watch his angry expression melt to one of pity. "Oh Krad…" he whispered, and I felt the pad of his thumb, tickling my face as he wiped the remains of my bout of sorrow away. I opened my eyes and my breath caught at his expression.

His eyes were warm, caring and sincere-Dark had never looked at me that way before. Or had he? I couldn't remember.

I let my tired eyes slip closed again and banished my wings as he ran his fingers through my hair. Normally, I would never allow anyone near my hair but Dark's touch was gentle and soothing and I was so tired…

"I'm so confused…" I mumbled, half asleep. This wasn't good-my defenses were down. I shifted with unease. Soul searching conversations-with Dark of all people-were not my forte. Usually, I was shouting at him and spitting out what ever my rage-fueled mind could come up with.

"I don't know who I am anymore…" I turned red, realizing that my mouth had just uttered another embarrassingly weak settlement. Somehow, I found I was too exhausted to care much. Dark was leaning forward, and I realized that I had whispered the sentence.

I felt Dark's fingers pause on their way through my hair. "This is my fault." He sounded upset, and my eyes fluttered open enough to meet his anguished violets. "Damn, had I known it would turn out this way…"

"'S alright…" I slurred, lids heavy. "I d'nt blame you…"

"Krad? Krad! Hey, no! You gotta stay awake! I haven't started the healing yet. Shit!"

I could hear Dark's voice faintly in the back of my mind, but I couldn't discern what he was saying and deemed it unimportant. All I wanted was to sleep…

**Dark's POV**

This was not good. Krad's condition was deteriorating fast-even though we were artworks, losing blood was never good-and he was losing consciousness. I couldn't perform a healing incantation if he was passed out.

"Krad!" I snarled, slapping him hard across the face. "Stay awake!"

"Nnm…" he moaned, his eyes fluttering open only long enough to give me an empty stare before his head flopped back again. His eyes had been darker than normal, a dark golden brown. I had a feeling that wasn't good.

'What do I do?' I thought, racking my brain for a solution. 'Krad is right; I'm no doctor!'

I was reluctant to leave his side, but maybe the old cold water trick would work. I scurried to the kitchen, grabbed a pitcher, and filled it with cold water. I wasn't sure if this was even going to work-but it was the only thing I could think of. I crossed my fingers and flung the water at his motionless form.

His entire body shivered, and his eyes, still darker than normal, opened slightly. Even with his teeth chattering noisily, he was already starting to drift off again. This might be my only opportunity.

Quickly, I started chanting the healing incantation under my breath, repetitively shaking Krad between sentences to keep him awake. His eyes were fluttering, trying to close. 'Come on, just a bit more…'

Just as he passed out again, I managed to finish, the wound on his arm reacting to my words. Violet magic surrounded several pieces of glass and removed then, then set to work on closing the wound.

I sighed in relief, Krad would be fine. The artwork in question shivered, and I realized I'd have to get him dry and warm, lest he end up with hypothermia or something. I lifted Krad on to what I assumed was the Commander's bed. I was reluctant to remove my counterpart's clothing, so I just toweled him off and covered him in as many blankets as I could find.

I sighed, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. This was all my fault. It had been my intention to come and get things straightened out with Krad. I hadn't expected this. Krad had always been the stronger of the two of us, and he was the master at keeping his emotions inside. This ordeal must have affected him more than I had envisioned.

I wanted to stay with the sleeping ice angel, but I knew that Dai would worry if I wasn't home when he got back from school and that I could trust Satoshi to watch over Krad. I checked on the wound and found that it was almost healed. The blood had also been cleared away by the water and my magic. Satisfied, I determined it didn't need any bandages and stood.

"This isn't over. I'll fix this. I promise Krad." I told the injured hunter and left the room, glancing back once over my shoulder. I was still reluctant to leave him, but hardening my heart, I came out the way I had entered and skillfully locked the door again.

If Satoshi suspected I was involved, there would be hell to pay.

Still, I waited on the roof, hidden from sight, until Satoshi arrived and made sure he was watching over Krad, before I took off for the Niwa house. If he died or got sick as a result of this, it would be my fault.

**Krad's POV**

How it had all spiraled into this, I had no idea. Satoshi-sama was at school, and I had been sitting on the couch, one again reading Satoshi's warn copy of Macbeth. Halfway through, I realized I had no idea what I had just read.

Irritated, I had stalked to the bathroom to splash some water on my face and hopefully clear my head-but as soon as I had seen my reflection in the mirror something-I still wasn't sure what-had come over me.

After that, was where it got fuzzy and the events were so scrambled and contorted in my mind it gave me a headache. But one thing was for certain, I owed another debt of gratitude to that idiotic thief.

My wounds were healed, and traces of Dark's magic were still present where my wounds had been. Also, I found I had been wrapped in many blankets, although I had awoken due to the fact that despite the warmth the blankets provided, my clothes were wet.

I staggered out of bed, realizing too late that Dark's magic had only just started to affect my energy levels and grimacing at the cool air and the loss of the blankets' heat, headed towards the shower. I was already wet—how I wasn't exactly sure, I seemed to recall something involving Mousy and a pitcher of freezing water, most likely from Satoshi-sama's kitchen—so I might as well take a warm shower. It wouldn't do to hinder Dark's magic from restoring my energy levels but that meant my sources of entertainment were limited. If I used more energy than Dark's magic was providing, I was in trouble.

Luckily, taking a shower would only use a small portion of my energy-and just laying in bed uncomfortably wet didn't seem to be a very pleasant alternative- so, I headed to the bathroom, carefully avoiding looking at the shattered mirror. By the time, Satoshi-sama returned from school, I was dressed, and drying my wet hair. It was irritating to use the human contraption to do so, but, as of yet, Dark's magic had still not fully completed its task in restoring my energy thus it was dangerous to use my magic.

"Krad." Satoshi's piercing blue eyes met mine. "Can we…talk?" His voice was soft, but clear enough that I could hear it over the sound of the hair dryer.

I raised an eyebrow but shut off the human contraption and waited for my tamer to begin speaking.

"Do you want me to take over?" Satoshi-sama asked, and I nodded gratefully. Being in Satoshi's head would help me regain my magic quicker.

"Krad, why is the mirror broken?"

I flinched. I had forgotten about that. "_I apologize Satoshi-sama. I will fix it later."_

"That's not the issue here Krad. There is blood in my sink as well."

"_I…" _I didn't know what to tell him. "_I don't want to talk about it."_

"I do." Satoshi snarled, and I suddenly realized that he was concerned-concerned for me.

"_Who am I Satoshi-sama? That's all I want to know. Can you tell me?"_

Satoshi sighed, and tried to push up the glasses that were no longer resting on the bridge of his nose-a habit he had when he was thinking deeply about something. He had gotten rid of the glasses in my absence, deeming them unnecessary, as he could see just fine without them, and as he had some trust in me now it seemed, had decided to leave them off.

"Krad, I can't tell you who you are. But what does it matter? Who cares who you are? Listen to me Krad. Ever since you came back, all you've been doing is lounging in my head or lounging in my home. It's not healthy. You need to get out-_do_ something. If you don't do anything, how can you know who you are?"

I blinked. 'Why does Satoshi-sama have to be such a genius?' "_Alright," _I replied. "_I'll try."_

"This is a bad idea."

"_No it's not. You need to talk to him."_

"No I don't. Satoshi-sama, why can't I just keep to myself? It's not as if he is stealing Hikari works anymore."

"_Krad, weren't you the one who told me that you can't decide whether he is a friend or an enemy? In order to find out who you are, you need to answer that question. And you can't do that if you avoid the thief for the rest of your life."_

I sighed, and nervously approached the Niwa residence. Dark was inside, I could feel the thief's unique magic inside the house, and the complete lack of the Niwa's confirmed that Dark was in control at the moment.

Resigning myself to my fate, as Satoshi-sama would take over and _force _me to talk with Dark if I didn't, I quickly unlocked the upstairs window, and slipped inside.

The Niwa's bedroom looked nothing like Satoshi's. There were piles of art supplies littering the desk and floor, and papers were scattered throughout the entire room. I had no idea what color the carpet was, as clothes, books, and other random trinkets were also among the papers and sketchbooks littering the ground.

Carefully avoiding crushing anything, I made my way through the room and sat on the bed, knowing that my magic would soon alert Dark to my presence. Sure enough, the thief peeked his head apprehensively in the room some time later, and I watched as his eyes widened and he stepped into the room.

"Hey! You're alright!" Dark nearly threw himself onto the bed besides me, and I flinched, scooting a distance away from the unwelcome intruder. Never mind that I was the one in the thief's home without his permission.

"Yes. As you can see, I am perfectly fine." I replied. For a second, I was tempted to snap at the thief and ask him why he had done something so stupid as saving his enemy but I held his tongue, resulting in an awkward silence between us.

Suddenly, Dark's violet eyes flashed, and he turned to face me. "Why did you come here?" he asked. "You must have had a reason. So, what are you here for?"

I couldn't do this. This was probably the hardest and most awkward thing I had ever done in my existence.

"_Tell him." _Satoshi hissed in my head.

I went on autopilot. I just let myself speak, not considering, not planning. I didn't know what I would say, but I knew that whatever it was, I _meant_ it.

"I've discovered myself. And I've made a decision. The person that hates you with all of their being does not exist anymore."

AN: I don't really like how this chapter came out. It certainly varied from how I was planning on writing it, but hey, I've always been more of a "go with the flow" kind of writer. Still, this chapter just seems a bit gross. Hopefully you all don't agree with me. Homework tends to do bad things to my writing.

Anyways, it feels so great to get another chapter up! This year has been a massive strain on my free time. Homework is in abundance and it seems like every time I complete one assignment, another two are assigned!

Please read and review and as always, constructive criticism is very much appreciated. I missed you all!


	17. Chapter 17

**Krad's POV**

Dark digested my words in stages. The first stage was disbelief. He didn't seem very affected by my words, and nearly stared back at me, as if waiting for me to tell him I was lying.

Next, came shock. Dark's mouth opened into an "o" of surprise, and his amethyst irises widened. He was in this stage for a long time, just sitting there, looking at me like I had just grown an extra head. It took him a few moments to fully absorb the information, and then his face lit up as if he had just stolen an entire museum's worth of artworks.

His radiant smile was making me nervous, and I could feel my cheeks heating up. But despite his initial shock, Satoshi-sama's energy was radiating approval in the back of my mind. So, despite the urge to flee somewhere where that idiotic grin couldn't reach me, I felt a small smile slide on to my face as well.

If anything the grin on Dark's face widened. "I-Krad…Dang. This is…"

"Have I really reduced you to a being primitive enough to be unable to finish its sentences?"

"Oh shut up." Dark snaps back, but the mirth was evident in his eyes. "You know, I came to Satoshi's place in the first place so we could get everything straightened out. To be honest, I was a little afraid you were going to hate me you know? And…you running away and all seemed to confirm my fears."

"Sorry…." I mumble. I didn't like this feeling-this feeling of guilt.

"It's not your fault." Dark tells me, and smiles sadly at me. "If anything, it was my idiotic ideas that got us into this mess."

"It's fine." I say. "It's over. The blame falls on both of us."

Dark smiles again, warmer this time. "You're right." He pauses, and shifts, almost nervously. "I-Thanks. I mean it. For what you said. It…means a lot to me."

"_I know," _I think, but the words don't escape my lips.

Dark lowers his head. "…So I guess…you'll need this." He says, and drops something into my palm.

A golden ring rested in my palm, decorated with Celtic designs flawless in minute detail. I recognized it immediately-the Ogon no inu, the artwork that had caused this mess. I stare at it for a while, watching it glint in my palm, and rolling it between my fingers.

"Why did you give this to me?" I say, and Dark looks up, eyes wide.

"What do you mean? You know why I gave you that…This thing hurt you Krad. No doubt you want to go back to the way you were. With this, you can do that. Our copies will be destroyed and all memory of them will disappear. Things will be the same again. Isn't that what you want?"

_Was it?_ Was this really what I desired? I clutched the ring in fingers that couldn't seem to stop shaking. Of course it was. That's what I wanted all along…Right?

"_Be careful Krad. This decision is everything." _Satoshi's voice in my head made me pause, the ring poised on my fingertips.

Was I prepared to return things to the way there were before? I would be myself again-whole, and unblemished, and I would know myself again. But, I realized, I would know no one else. My tamer would be a stranger to me and the new found friendship between us would be lost-and Dark.

Dark would be my enemy, someone I was sworn to kill. Could I really do that to him?

I could feel the answer on the tip of my tongue. Silently, I put a hand to my neck and grasped the necklace chain curled around it. I could feel Dark's eyes on me as I carefully removed the white feather from its place on the end of the necklace. There, with a few whispered words of magic, I melded the chain and the ring, so the two would be unbreakable.

Dark gave an audible gasp as I let go of the chain, and the necklace settled around my neck again.

"Like I told you." I say, smirking. "The person that could hate you does not exist anymore."

Another earsplitting smile spreads across Dark's face. "I'm glad." He tells me.

Embarrassed, I keep my eyes on the Niwa boy's carpet, and notice something I hadn't upon first entering the room. "I-Is this…me?" I gasp, unable to conceal my shock.

What I had stumbled on was in fact a sketch in one of the pads. It was half painted in vivid colors of gold and pastel white, but most of the pencil lines were still evident, shining faintly silver. Despite the roughness of the work, it was easy to distinguish my form and it seemed to be a very good likeness of me. I was wearing a content expression, and my wings were flared out on either side of me in great sweeping arches.

"Oops. Guess the cat's out of the bag." Dark looks a little sheepish, his eyes following my fingers as I gently traced the length of my wings on the sketch.

"It seems you haven't lost your penchant for drawing me." I comment, tracing the shape of the drawing's face.

"Guess not…" Dark replies, in a voice almost soft enough to be a whisper. I realize his voice is so soft the only reason I can hear him is because of his close proximity to me. I shiver.

"Do you mind if I…keep it?" I ask, staring into the drawing's painted eyes.

"What? You want to…keep it? Sure I guess, but it's just a sketch."

And this time I am the one whose face lights up and I give Dark a grateful look. "Thank you."

Dark smirks. "I don't mind parting with one, if it's going to you…"

"…_One_?" I give Dark a look. I flip through the journal, noting half in embarrassment, and half in exasperation, that nearly every drawing, sketch, or painting was depicting me. Dark gives me a sheepish look and I roll my eyes.

"Really Dark?"

"Hey! It's not just me! Dai's having fun sketching you too! You're a pretty good model."

"Can't you draw anything else?" I tease, flipping another page to find an inked drawing of me, sitting on a couch with a faint smile on the corner of my lips. The scene looks familiar, and I realize it was a depiction of my first experience with an old Western movie. I smile faintly at the memory. "Honestly Dark, you _must _be obsessed."

Dark gives me an indignant look, but in way of answer, gently takes the sketchbook from my hands and flips back a few pages. Sure enough, it wasn't me that was being depicted, but it was a place recognized.

The scene Dark had captured in this painting was a place I certainly would never forget. It was the fountain outside the ice cream shop in the other world, with silver coins glimmering faintly from the depths of the fountain.

There was silence between us for some time, and then I look up from the piece. Dark looks up also, in order to meet my eyes, but he does so slowly, as if unwilling to tear himself from the painting, and the memories of that day.

"We are…eternal creatures Dark. Have you forgotten that?"

Dark's violet eyes are still distant, and his eyes don't _quite _meet my own-instead focusing somewhere near my cheekbones. "I haven't forgotten…" he sighs back.

"Things like that…are never eternal Dark." I say. There's another silence between us, pregnant with the words spoken and those still hovering in the corner of our minds.

"_I know_…" I think I hear him whisper, and his bright eyes cloud with some emotion I can't pinpoint.

This was wrong. I wasn't supposed to upset him like this. I couldn't understand what exactly he was feeling-his eyes only showed me a blend of emotions so intense that it _hurt_, somewhere deep inside my chest and yet, I couldn't look away. Whatever it was, Dark wasn't supposed to be the one feeling it. This needed to be remedied.

I let my eyes fall closed and the familiar words filled my mind. I spoke them so softly that even I had trouble hearing my own voice.

"Krad…" Dark says, half a gasp but I cannot respond, still muttering the ancient words of the spell under my breath. When the words dry up and stop, I pause for a moment, keeping my eyes closed, and then, knowing what I will see, I open them.

**Dark's POV**

The complexity and difficulty of the spell Krad was using now was apparent. I could already sense the pull of it decreasing his energy. He wouldn't be able to maintain it long. Even still, the gesture warmed my heart.

It was an illusion spell-this I knew without a doubt. And yet everything here seemed so real-just as it was, just how I pictured it.

The faint sound of feet on cobblestones and laughter. The bubbling and gurgling of the fountain. The cold yet comforting iron of the chairs and the smooth, ice cream stained surface of the table.

"Krad…you shouldn't have done this. Your energy…"

Krad shakes his head, sending bright blond locks flying, turning golden in the light surrounding us. "It was the least I could do for you."

I sigh, but don't try to argue with him again, instead leaning back in the chair that feels so real, cold metal against the back of my shirt, and breathing in the sweet scent of ice cream and Krad.

"Did you know Dark?" Krad says, taking his seat across from me, the light from the "sun" glancing against the back of his head and sending a ray of light across his hair, like a halo. "This place is made up of my memories. Without the remembrance of this place, I could not conjure it up." He pauses, closing his eyes and tilting his head up seemingly enjoying the sunshine. "This place is a part of me now."

I feel the beginnings of a smile tugging at the edges of my lips. "Thanks." I tell him, and I mean it. If only for one second, it feels…as if nothing has changed. I'm a college boy, in love, with not a care in the world. No artworks, no tamers, only laughter, and ice cream, and kisses.

A beatific smile slides on to Krad's face as he meets my eyes again, golden irises dancing. "You're welcome."

We fall together, lips meeting perfectly, as if it was part of the illusion. But I know it is not. He tastes like vanilla, just like I remember, and he lets a little sigh escape his lips.

We move apart again, gently, and just sit, listening to the birdsong and the faint sounds of the world around us.

I laugh, a warm bubbling feeling in my chest. "I'm glad." I say, leaning back against the iron back of my chair. "Glad that we-" But I don't need to finish, as Krad's lips turn upward and he gives me that look, that smile that even with all the skill in the world, I could never capture on paper.

"_I know_." He tells me, taking my hand in his. His amber eyes are warm. How could I ever think those eyes demonic?

"I wish we could stay here." He whispers, and the wind picks up. I can hear leaves rustling in the distances.

"It's impossible." I sigh, leaning back in my chair again. "You know that. We tried it once…we can't try again. You were the one who told me this place is not eternal Krad."

"Ah." He says, and a little smile dances at the corner of his lips. "But, it will have a way of living on. For as long as you live Dark Mousy and I live, as long as we are two halves of a whole, this place will remain. And all we must do is conjure it up."

I smile then, and he understands. His eyes fall close again, and with a nod, he releases the spell. I blink, and we are in Daisuke's bedroom once more, the memory tucked away again in Krad's mind. I am still gently grasping Krad's hand, and it was lucky I was, for he very nearly topples off the bed as soon as the spell is complete.

I shake my head in exasperation, and pull him towards me. "Krad! This is why you should have told me to do it. You still haven't healed completely." I come very close to slapping him as I realize how low his energy levels are. His magic is all but drained.

Krad shakes his head. "That would have ruined the surprise." Krad says faintly, "Besides, I wanted to do something for _you_."

"Thanks." I tell him again, and brush that long strand of blond hair out of his eyes. My fingers brush along his forehead, and I transfer some energy to him. He huffs, pretending to be offended, but I know he doesn't mind so much. "But you're an idiot."

He grins. "And _you_ are a bigger one."

I smirk. "Well I _am_ Dark Mousy, Phantom Thief." I waggle my eyebrows at him and he laughs.

"What shall we do now then, _Dark Mousy_?" he asks, brushing his thumb along my knuckles where our hands are still joined.

"Whatever." I say, falling back against the bed, and tugging Krad with me. "We have forever after all."

"Forever." Krad echoes, and smiles. "That sounds nice."

_Epilogue:_

**Krad's POV**

We burst through the door, gratefully dropping the parcels in our arms at the door. Dark blows on his hands, as if that will help for long. I roll my eyes, and warm my hands with a little spark of golden flame.

Dark notices my tactic and sticks his tongue out at me before mimicking my magic with his own. "That's some weather out there." He says, taking of his coat and tossing it on the couch. I roll my eyes and go to pick it up and place it in the closet.

"It is winter Dark." I reply, shedding my own coat and placing it next to his inside the closet. "You can't expect it to be _that _warm."

"It's October!" Dark moans, flopping on the couch. "It isn't _meant _to be this cold yet."

I sigh, and collapse beside him. "That was exhausting."

"What'd ya mean?" Dark asks, turning towards me.

"It's shopping Dark. You know I do not like to shop. Besides which, you insisted on dragging me across the mall, and we spent nearly half the day there!"

"You're exaggerating! It was fun, and we did stop walking for a while…"

"So you could stuff yourself with food! Do you know how horrible the food they have there is for you?"

Dark shrugs. "It tasted good. You should have had some." I huff and he laughs, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. "Sorry. I didn't mean for it to take that long, honest."

"Really." I say flatly, raising an eyebrow.

"Really." He smirks, and I know he is bluffing, but I just sigh and let it slide.

"Satoshi wants control Dark."

Dark folds his arms behind his head. I miss the warmth his arm around me provided. "Yeah, Dai too. Do you have enough energy to maintain astral form? I know you're exhausted and all-" He pauses dramatically.

"Oh fine." I grumble, and he grins.

I let Satoshi take over and watch as Dark's hair melts into a vivid red. "About time." Satoshi mutters.

"Dark!" Daisuke pouts. "You know we have a big paper due tomorrow! Couldn't this shopping thing have waited?"

"Nope!"Dark replies cheekily from Daisuke's side, dancing into the kitchen.

I roll my eyes at Dark's retreating form. "I'm terribly sorry."

Satoshi waves his hand absent-mindedly. "It's not your fault Krad. Just catch him before he starts making those damn waffles again."

I nod, and hurry into the kitchen after him. Sure enough, he's popping Eggo's Waffles into the toaster. "Haven't you eaten enough today?" I say, gently resting my head on his shoulder.

"Eh? What do you mean Krad? I'm starving!" I sigh, and watch as he fiddles with the toaster and pushes at the waffles, trying to force them down.

"Dark. You haven't plugged it in." I say, and he grins sheepishly.

"No wonder it wasn't working!" He exclaims, and plugs in the cord. "Thanks Krad." He rewards me with a brilliant smile.

I roll my eyes and sit at the table, not even bothering trying to resist. I know he's going to make waffles for me too.

Sure enough, he sets a plateful before me, without syrup just as I like them, although I notice he's placed a bottle of syrup very near to my plate. He watches me until I start eating, and then, satisfied, sits down beside me with his own plate.

Making a face at my share's lack of syrup, Dark covers his with nearly half the bottle's worth. I groan. 'I'll have to go buy some more again…'

"Don't make that face! Syrup is good for you!" Dark complains, in between mouthfuls of waffles. I sigh, but don't try to correct him.

It is difficult for us to eat in astral form, but we manage. It is not quite the same as eating in our own forms, but I can still taste the familiar doughy taste of the waffles, and I smile faintly. Dark always makes them when he's in a good mood.

And, sure enough, as soon as he's finished, the sketch book comes out. I move to his side, watching the way his violet eyes are nearly glaring at the paper, his mouth turned down in a frown of concentration.

I watch as my familiar form takes shape, and nearly laugh as I notice he has drawn himself as well, and he has captured perfectly the way he stuffs waffles into his mouth like a chipmunk. When he's finished, I give into the urge and laugh.

"It's not funny!" he insists and shuts the sketchbook with a smack. But I don't miss the way his eyes light up with mirth.

"Whatever you say." I reply, and pick up the now empty dishes and rinse them. I place them in the sink, and, had I not been thoroughly used to it by now, I would have jumped seeing Dark standing right behind me, grinning.

I give him a light slap across the cheek before he even has time to say anything about my "domestic" nature, and march off to our shared room. I don't need to listen for his footfalls to know he is following me.

"Krad?" He calls, stepping into the room.

I pause, surprised and turn to meet his gaze. "Yes? What is it?"

Dark seems to be struggling. He makes a face and then spits out "Are you happy?" so quickly that it takes me a few seconds to understand what he had said.

"Where did that come from?" I ask, taking a seat on the bed.

Dark groans. "Krad, just answer the question."

"Yes…I am. Now why the sudden question?"

"I…wanted to make sure you were happy here. With me." Dark fidgets awkwardly.

I roll my eyes. "Honestly. Aren't you always saying you're the best at reading my emotions and bragging about how you know me better than Satoshi?"

Dark looks sheepish. "I just wanted to make sure…"

"I made the decision to remain here with you. I'm not going back on it now."

Dark smiled. "Well then, how about some ice cream?"

AN: And that's it! Thank you so much to all my readers and reviewers! I hope you enjoyed this story! It was a wild ride for me and looking back, I realize my writing has improved so much just over the course of this story. And so, with the help of my lovely new beta Aerys Krystie, I'm going back and fixing all the grammar as well as the primitiveness of the chapters. The plot will remain unchanged of course, but once I'm finished I hope it will be an even greater read!


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